New Jersey Permitting Municipalities And Counties To Impose Additional Restrictions On Non-Essential Businesses
Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 195, which permits municipalities and counties to impose additional restrictions on the hours of operation of non-essential retail businesses, food and beverage establishments, and recreation and entertainment businesses after 8:00 p.m.
The Order prohibits municipalities and counties from imposing restrictions that prevent dining establishments from arranging for the pickup or delivery of goods or otherwise limiting their scope of operations. The Order will take effect immediately.
“I’ve been clear that our approach to the second wave is to act surgically within hotspot areas,”said Governor Murphy. “Today’s action maintains overall consistency across the state while also empowering local elected officials with the discretion to address situations where restricting the operating hours of certain businesses in the evening will help stop the spread of COVID-19.”
Examples of such restrictions include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Any additions to or deletions from the list of retail businesses deemed essential or that have been identified as essential through Administrative Orders authorized by the Governor’s Executive Orders;
- Any limitations imposed on any business’s scope of service;
- Any density or social distancing requirements;
- Any orders relating to the gathering of individuals; and
- General restrictions on the freedom of movement within that county or municipality, including but not limited to the imposition of curfews.
NEW: I will sign an Exec Order giving municipalities and counties the option to regulate the operating hours of non-essential businesses after 8:00 PM.
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) November 12, 2020
Our surgical approach empowers local officials to take actions to prevent localized hotspots from becoming COVID wildfires.
🔶COVID-19 UPDATE🔶 Today we are reporting 3,517 new cases, 266,986 total and 18 new deaths for a statewide total of 14,694.
— NJDOH (@NJDeptofHealth) November 12, 2020
🔸1,827 hospitalizations
🔸360 individuals in critical care
🔸32% of critical care patients on ventilators
Daily Percent Positivity is 12.02% pic.twitter.com/Ju589t1ku4
