Indoor Mask Mandate Issued In Another NJ Community

ASBURY PARK, NJ - Due to the high rate of transmission of the COVID-19 omicron variant, Asbury Park residents ages 3 and older are required to use masks in all indoor public spaces, according to a new city mandate.

The requirement goes into effect on Friday, Jan. 7 at 12 p.m. until further notice. Children under the age of 3 will be exempt from the mandate.

Per the order declared by Asbury Park’s Emergency Management Coordinator, face masks are required in all indoor public settings including:

• Government facilities
• Restaurants
• Bars
• Gyms
• Dance studios
• Recreation facilities
• Retail stores
• Cafes
• Supermarkets
• Convenience stores
• Places of worship
• Commercial establishments
• Salons
• Barbershops
• Banks
• Healthcare facilities
• Hotels

Employees and customers in these public spaces are required to wear face masks at all times except when:

• Actively eating or drinking or when socially distanced at least six feet apart from all others for an extended period of time (such as in an office setting when seated at desks)
• Performing for an audience
• Conducting worship services

“As Mayor & Council, our number one priority is the health and safety of our community,” said Asbury Park Mayor John Moor in a statement. “By having more people wear masks indoors, we hope to reduce the spread and keep people out of hospitals to minimize the strain on our healthcare system and potentially save lives. Our goal is to shorten the time it will take to get back to some kind of normalcy without negatively impacting our local businesses and residents in their daily lives.”

You can view the full executive order here: https://www.cityofasburypark.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1650

The city isn't the first to reinstate a mask requirement. East Orange, Hoboken, Maplewood, Montclair, Morristown, Newark and others are all enforcing similar indoor masking policies amid this new variant. Read more: Mask Mandates Return To New Jersey As COVID Spreads

Asbury Park's announcement comes as New Jersey reports 33,459 new cases on Friday, the highest daily number of new cases since the pandemic began in 2020.

NEW JERSEY #COVID19 UPDATE:
➡️33,459 new positive PCR tests
➡️1,535,503 total positive PCR tests
➡️5,930 new positive antigen tests
➡️246,960 total positive antigen tests
➡️63 new confirmed deaths
➡️26,519 total confirmed deaths
➡️2,855 probable deaths
https://t.co/JW1q8awGh7 pic.twitter.com/VYwSRow1xy
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) January 7, 2022