Councilman Calls For Mandatory Vaccines For School, City Workers

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Jersey City Ward E Councilperson James Solomon called on Superintendent Franklin Walker and Mayor Steven Fulop to mandate that all school board and municipal employees receive the COVID-19 vaccine or submit to weekly testing to ensure schools reopen safely and in-person this fall.

The call comes after Gov. Murphy announced employees in healthcare facilities must either be vaccinated or undergo regular testing. On Friday, Hoboken's Mayor Ravi Bhalla signed a mandate that city employees must be fully vaccinated by Aug. 9, and those who are not must take weekly tests and wear a face covering indoors and when interacting with the public.

In his weekly message, Superintendent Walker stressed the importance of vaccination for students and parents as well as the school community, but the district has not mandated vaccines for staff or students.

Commenting on his calls for new precautions Solomon said, “Vaccination remains our number one tool to combat this pandemic. Science shows that the vaccines are safe and highly effective at reducing the spread and severity of cases caused by the Delta Variant. Jersey City should follow the example set by President Biden and Mayor Bhalla to ensure that we are doing everything in our power to get our kids back in classrooms safely this fall, and that the public at large is protected from this new wave of disease. We can’t have a repeat of last school year. We can’t wait until this new wave is upon us to react, we have to be proactive.”

Jersey City has seen 23 new COVID-19 cases within the last two weeks as of Sunday, according to data collected by the city. As of July 31, all of New Jersey's 21 counties except one have now entered "high" or "substantial" levels of coronavirus transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meaning that the CDC wants residents in those counties to wear face masks again in indoor public settings — even if they've been vaccinated.

Jersey City schools are continuing to take their cue from the CDC while they wait on further guidance from the New Jersey Department of Education and are recommending masks in schools as part of the reopening plan. Masks are still are recommendation in the district, not a mandate.