New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) is standing firm on the Feb. 28 vaccine mandate deadline for healthcare workers to receive the COVID-19 booster shot, he said at a news briefing Wednesday.
Under the governor’s Jan. 19 executive order, all New Jersey healthcare workers will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and receive booster shots no later than Monday or face employment termination. The mandate applies to full- and part-time employees, contractors and other individuals, such as those providing operational, custodial or administrative support, working in covered settings. Covered workers no longer will be permitted to submit to testing instead of vaccination unless they have an exemption from vaccination.
Even though the governor said he is holding firm on the booster mandate deadline, exceptions could be made, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidance that recommends that some individuals wait up to eight weeks before receiving their second shot of the Moderna or Pfizer mRNA vaccine, according to Judith Persichilli, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health.
“We’re not going to back away from the mandate, but we want to make sure the executive order is consistent with the guidance,” the governor said.
In nearby New York, State Health Commissioner Mary Bassett announced last Friday that the state will no longer enforce its booster mandate for healthcare workers, to avoid potential staffing issues and give them more time to get the third shot. The requirement was set to go into effect this past Monday.
“While we are making progress, with 75% of staff [having] received or are willing to receive their booster, the reality is that not enough healthcare workers will be boosted by next week’s requirement in order to avoid substantial staffing issues in our already overstressed healthcare system,” Bassett stated. “That is why we are announcing additional efforts to work closely with healthcare facilities and ensure that our healthcare workforce is up to date on their doses.”
Multiple states, including California, New Mexico and Connecticut, also have required boosters for nursing home staff members.
