Newark Ready To Start Enforcing NJ’s Outdoor Mask Order

NEWARK, NJ — Newark police will begin local enforcement of Gov. Phil Murphy’s outdoor face mask order this week, officials said.

Last week, Murphy announced he's ordering people to wear masks outside if they can't social distance. Exceptions include children under age 2, people who can’t wear a mask for medical reasons, some “low-risk” sports, and customers eating outdoors at restaurants.

• See related article: Gov. Murphy Orders NJ Masks Outside When Not Social Distancing

In Newark, police will give warnings to people who don’t wear masks and social distance outdoors in public starting Tuesday.

Police will begin issuing people tickets Thursday, officials said.

“While the risk of COVID-19 transmission is reduced in outdoor spaces more than indoors, people gathered outside in groups who aren’t practicing social distance still create a danger of spreading this virus from person to person,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said. “That’s why wearing masks outdoors has become mandatory.”

“Protecting the people of the city of Newark against the spread of COVID-19 is our primary goal,” Baraka said. “We have to continue to work hard to save our community.”

In Newark, the state’s most populated city, the coronavirus has hit the community hard. As of Sunday, there have been 7,897 confirmed cases and 641 deaths linked to the disease, Essex County officials say. The city has 282,011 residents, according to the most recent estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau.

View more local COVID-19 statistics in Newark at the city’s website.

City officials said the enforcement of wearing masks in outdoor public spaces is in line with Newark’s #MaskUp campaign, which asks people to wear a mask at all times in public and “tell those they know to do the same.”

“Police will remind people of the dangers of not wearing masks when they are observed outdoors, in public spaces and not practicing social distancing before enforcing the order with citations,” Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.

“COVID-19 poses a credible threat to the safety of our residents,” Ambrose said. “While it’s natural for people to spend time congregating at outdoor public spaces during the summer months, we must make every effort to limit exposure to this deadly virus.”

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