Ex-Gov. Christie Calls Out Gov. Murphy On Indoor Masking Rules

MENDHAM, NJ — New Jersey's former governor Chris Christie didn’t mask his feelings on Saturday when he unleashed on his successor for not aligning with CDC on their latest face covering guidelines.

Christie called the decision “incomprehensible,” slamming Gov. Phil Murphy in a tweet for orders contrary to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention directives, that would permit vaccinated individuals to go maskless within New Jersey’s indoor locations.

"Incomprehensible policy decision ignoring the science by the same administration which has made 15 months of decisions that have led NJ to have the most per capita deaths from COVID-19 in the nation,” Christie tweeted.

Christie also cited a 7.7 percent unemployment figure for the Garden State, as well as New Jersey having the “most deaths from COVID.”

“Now masks stay on?” Christie asked, before hashtagging “#ignorethescience.”

Incomprehensible policy decision ignoring the science by the same administration which has made 15 months of decisions that have led NJ to have the most per capita deaths from COVID-19 in the nation. 7.7% unemployment. Most deaths from COVID. Now, masks stay on? #ignorethescience https://t.co/AV0ffE2vTw
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) May 15, 2021

In an October interview with Patch, Christie described the importance of following CDC mask guidelines, after being hospitalized for COVID-19.

Murphy did partially adopt the new CDC guidance on Friday, telling New Jersey that vaccinated people "can do away with our masks" if they're outdoors. But he declined to remove the restrictions requiring indoor masking.

Murphy also said that if you're not vaccinated and outdoors and "you're still in close proximity (with other people), you should be wearing your mask."

Murphy elaborated in tweets later in the day on Friday, saying: "We will keep our indoor mask mandate in place in public settings as we continue to work toward our vaccination goals. To be clear, we're making incredible progress, but we're not there yet."

"Dr. Fauci himself said yesterday that he thinks lifting indoor mask mandates at this time could lead to a rise in infections. So we're not going to let up for the next few weeks as we keep pushing forward on our statewide vaccination goals."

Questions about this story? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.