Mask Mandate Returns To Morristown Amid COVID Spike

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Mayor Tim Dougherty will re-institute a mask requirement in Morristown because of the spike in new COVID-19 cases and the emergence of the omicron variant. The executive order applies to all Morristown businesses and venues open to the public.

The order takes effect at noon Friday.

"With cases sharply rising in the last few weeks, it's important we all do our part to help ease the spread of transmission, which helps to lessen the strain on our hospitals and health care workers," Dougherty said in a news release. "Masking up is something we all can do to help our community."

Masks can be removed when eating or drinking inside an establishment.

Officials have reported 193 new Morristown cases since Dec. 15, bringing the town to 2,801 cases since the pandemic began.

The state also hit record-highs for case totals for two days straight. The New Jersey Department of Health reported 9,711 new cases Wednesday and 15,482 on Thursday. State officials also announced confirmed 61 new COVID-19 deaths in the past two days.

New Jersey dropped its indoor mask mandate for most settings in late May, following updated CDC guidance that fully vaccinated people could safely go without wearing masks or social distancing in most cases.

But several towns around the nation have brought back mask mandates because of the recent surge in cases.

Gov. Phil Murphy has not announced new restrictions since the surge. But when asked about whether mask mandates might return, Murphy said last week that "everything is on the table."

Currently, 71.25 percent of New Jersey's hospital beds are in use, with 10.43 percent of them occupied by COVID-19 patients, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The ratio of COVID-19 hospitalizations to total beds becomes concerning at 10 percent and represents "extreme stress" at 20 percent or greater, according to a framework developed by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

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