Murphy Drops COVID-19 Testing Mandate For Healthcare Workers

By Christian Wade | The Center Square contributor, The Center Square New Jersey

March 4, 2023

(The Center Square) — Gov. Phil Murphy is dropping New Jersey's COVID-19 testing requirements for healthcare workers, lifting one of the state's last remaining pandemic related restrictions.
Murphy signed an executive order Monday rescinding the policy, originally issued more than three years ago, which had required unvaccinated workers in nursing homes, state prisons, nursing homes and long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers and other health care settings to undergo regular COVID-19 testing.

Unlike many Northeast states, New Jersey didn't mandate vaccines for state workers and allowed them to be tested for the virus instead, in some cases twice a week.

In the order rescinding the testing mandate, Murphy noted the state's "significant progress" in battling the virus, mitigating its "devastating impacts" and expanding vaccinations, with about 78% of the state's eligible population fully vaccinated.

"New Jersey has reported more than 3 million COVID-19 infections and an estimated 36,000 confirmed and probable deaths related to the coronavirus," according to the state Department of Health. The agency reported 319 new confirmed COVID-19 infections as of Monday, with one additional death.

President Joe Biden announced in January that the national emergency declaration would end on May 11, but Congress approved a Republican lead proposal to end the declaration immediately, sending the bill to Biden's desk for consideration. Biden has said he won't veto the proposal.

Meanwhile, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its guidelines for COVID-19, shortening quarantine times, ending a recommendation for regular testing in schools, and scaled back mask recommendations, emphasizing that people should still take personal precautions to avoid spreading the virus.

While New Jersey’s public health emergency ended in 2021, a state of emergency declaration related to COVID-19 issued March 9, 2020, remains in effect.

New Jersey Republicans have pushed Murphy to end the state of emergency and give up his expanded powers under the declaration.

State Sen. Mike Testa, R-Cumberland, said in a statement the emergency declaration allows Murphy to "keep unnecessary directives in place" and to "continue spending billions in federal relief funds with almost no transparency or oversight."

He said Murphy "needs to recognize the COVID-19 pandemic is over and it’s time to give up his emergency powers."

"A state of emergency is designed to empower a governor to respond quickly when needed, but the danger is that it allows good government protections to be bypassed," Testa said. "That’s why we can’t allow declared emergencies to drag on for years without end."

The focus of the work of The Center Square New Jersey is state and local-level government and economic reporting that approaches stories with a taxpayer sensibility.