New Jersey Administrative Code
Title - EXECUTIVE ORDERS
Title 55 - CHRIS CHRISTIE
Section - Executive Order No. 186 (2020)

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 6, March 18, 2024

Governor Philip D. Murphy

Executive Order No. 186 (2020)

An Order Extending the Public Health Emergency in New Jersey

Issued: September 25, 2020.

Effective: September 25, 2020.

WHEREAS, on March 9, 2020, through Executive Order No. 103 (2020), the facts and circumstances of which are adopted by reference herein, I declared both a Public Health Emergency and a State of Emergency throughout the State due to the public health hazard created by Coronavirus disease 2019 ("COVID-19"); and

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 103 (2020) described both the symptoms and dangers presented by COVID-19 and the likelihood of community spread across the State, and it recognized the need to use all available statewide authorities to prepare for and respond to COVID-19 cases in New Jersey, to implement appropriate measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and to prepare in the event of an increasing number of individuals requiring medical care or hospitalization; and

WHEREAS, as COVID-19 continued to spread across New Jersey and an increasing number of individuals required medical care or hospitalization, I issued a series of Executive Orders pursuant to my authority under the New Jersey Civilian Defense and Disaster Control Act and the Emergency Health Powers Act ("EHPA"), to protect the public health, safety, and welfare against the emergency created by COVID-19, including Executive Order Nos. 104-133, 135-138, 140-166, 168-173, 175, 177-181, and 183 (2020), the facts and circumstances of which are all adopted by reference herein; and

WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 26:13-3(b) establishes that a Public Health Emergency declared by the Governor shall automatically terminate after 30 days, unless renewed for an additional 30 days through a declaration of the Governor; and

WHEREAS, on April 7, 2020, I issued Executive Order No. 119, which declared that the Public Health Emergency declared in Executive Order No. 103 (2020) continues to exist; and

WHEREAS, on May 6, 2020, I issued Executive Order No. 138, which declared that the Public Health Emergency declared in Executive Order No. 103 (2020) continues to exist; and

WHEREAS, on June 4, 2020, I issued Executive Order No. 151, which declared that the Public Health Emergency declared in Executive Order No. 103 (2020) continues to exist; and

WHEREAS, on July 2, 2020, I issued Executive Order No. 162, which declared that the Public Health Emergency declared in Executive Order No. 103 (2020) continues to exist; and

WHEREAS, on August 1, 2020, I issued Executive Order No. 171, which declared that the Public Health Emergency declared in Executive Order No. 103 (2020) continues to exist; and

WHEREAS, on August 27, 2020, I issued Executive Order No. 181, which declared that the Public Health Emergency declared in Executive Order No. 103 (2020) continues to exist; and

WHEREAS, through Executive Order Nos. 119, 138, 151, 162, 171, and 181 (2020), I declared that all Executive Orders and Administrative Orders adopted in whole or in part in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency remained in full force and effect; and

WHEREAS, since the Public Health Emergency was renewed on August 27, 2020, at which time there were over 190,000 positive cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey, the COVID-19 outbreak has continued to present a public health hazard in New Jersey, in the region, and across the United States; and

WHEREAS, as of September 25, 2020, according to the World Health Organization, there were over 32,029,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with over 979,000 of those cases having resulted in death; and

WHEREAS, as of September 24, 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were over 6,916,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with over 201,000 of those cases having resulted in death; and

WHEREAS, as of September 24, 2020, there were over 201,000 positive cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey, with at least 14,300 of those cases having resulted in death; and

WHEREAS, there have been positive cases of COVID-19 in every county in New Jersey, and there have been deaths relating to COVID-19 in every county in New Jersey; and

WHEREAS, due to the significant emergency measures the State has taken in response to COVID-19, there has now been a decrease in the rate of reported new cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey, in the total number of individuals being admitted to hospitals for COVID-19, and in the rate of reproduction for COVID-19 infections in New Jersey; and

WHEREAS, given the progress the State has made based on these emergency measures and after consultation with officials from the Department of Health ("DOH"), I announced a multi-stage New Jersey's Road Back Plan (the "Plan") for the methodical and strategic reopening of businesses and activities based on scientific data and metrics concerning the level of disease transmission risk and essential classification; and

WHEREAS, in line with the Plan, the State has been able to relax a number of restrictions, each time tailored to the relative risk the activity presents, and additional restrictions on outdoor and indoor recreational and entertainment businesses have been lifted over the past several months; and

WHEREAS, even as the rate of reported new cases of COVID-19 decreases, the ongoing risks presented by COVID-19 mean that many of the State's current measures must remain in place, both to reduce additional new infections and to save lives; and

WHEREAS, the fact that the spread of COVID-19 has been limited by the State's emergency measures does not in any way suggest that the ongoing Public Health Emergency has dissipated, because absent social distancing measures, public health experts anticipate that the spread of COVID-19 would again significantly increase; and

WHEREAS, the renewal of the declaration of the ongoing Public Health Emergency is necessary to allow the State to continue with the Plan to allow for the methodical and strategic reopening of the State, consistent with the State's authority under the EHPA; and

WHEREAS, the renewal of the declaration of the ongoing Public Health Emergency is also necessary to ensure that the State can swiftly respond to take all appropriate actions should the rate of reported new cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey, number of individuals being admitted to hospitals for COVID-19, or rate of reproduction for COVID-19 infections in New Jersey increase once more, as we are now seeing in numerous states across the country; and

WHEREAS, the spread of COVID-19 has greatly strained the resources and capabilities of county and municipal governments, including public health agencies, that provide essential services for containing and mitigating the spread of contagious diseases, and the situation is too large in scope to be handled entirely by the normal county and municipal operating services; and

WHEREAS, the facts as set forth above and in consultation with the Commissioner of DOH confirm that the spread of COVID-19 in New Jersey constitutes an ongoing public health hazard that threatens and presently endangers the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of one or more municipalities or counties of the State, and it is necessary and appropriate to take action against this public health hazard to protect and maintain the health, safety, and welfare of New Jersey residents and visitors; and

WHEREAS, the facts as set forth above and in consultation with the Commissioner of DOH confirm that there exists a Public Health Emergency in the State; and

WHEREAS, the Constitution and statutes of the State of New Jersey, particularly the provisions of N.J.S.A. 26:13-1et seq., N.J.S.A. App. A: 9-33 et seq., N.J.S.A. 38A:3-6.1, and N.J.S.A. 38A:2-4 and all amendments and supplements thereto, confer upon the Governor of the State of New Jersey certain emergency powers, which I have invoked;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby DECLARE and PROCLAIM that the Public Health Emergency declared in Executive Order No. 103 (2020) pursuant to the EHPA, N.J.S.A. 26:13-1, et seq., continues to exist throughout the State of New Jersey, and I hereby ORDER and DIRECT: