COVID-19 Vaccines, Testing Now Mandatory For NJ Health Care Staff

NEW JERSEY — Health care facilities and other high-risk congregate settings have until Sept. 7 to establish a system to vaccinate all employees or routinely test them for the coronavirus, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday.

This includes hospitals, correctional facilities, long-term care and assisted living facilities, specialty hospitals, in-patient rehab facilities, behavioral health facilities and memorial homes, Murphy said during a news conference.

If the state doesn't see a significant increase in vaccination rates among these employees, the state is ready to require vaccinations for these employees.

The vaccination mandate is applicable to the following employers:
Ancora Psychiatric Hospital
Ann Klein Forensic Center
Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital
Trenton Psychiatric Hospital
Paramus Veterans Memorial Home
Menlo Park Veterans Memorial Home pic.twitter.com/r2h1Kh1Qpe
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) August 2, 2021

"Our mandate is the floor," Murphy said. "If we do not see significant increases in vaccination rates among the employees in these settings, we are ready and willing to require all staff to be vaccinated as a condition of their employment."

Murphy added that private-sector employers may implement a more rigorous mandate. The announcement comes as the delta variant has helped fuel a drastic increase in the number of new coronavirus cases in New Jersey in the last month. Read more here: Driven By Delta Variant, COVID Cases Quadruple In NJ

“While reaching our statewide vaccination goal has so far dampened the impact of the Delta variant in New Jersey, some of our most vulnerable populations remain at risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19 primarily due to exposure to unvaccinated individuals,” Murphy said. “We are taking this step today because it has been proven time and time again that vaccines save lives and are our way out of this pandemic. Individuals in health care facilities should have confidence in their caretakers, and this measure will help ensure peace of mind for those in higher-risk settings. And we are prepared to consider additional measures if we do not see a satisfactory increase in vaccination uptake in those settings as this new requirement is put into effect.”

All workers in certain state and private health care facilities and high-risk congregate settings will be required to be fully vaccinated or undergo testing at least once or twice a week, Murphy said.

There are currently 38 active outbreaks at long-term care facilities, up from 18 two weeks ago, according to New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. In long-term care facilities overall, 71 percent of workers have been vaccinated, but some individual facilities have rates as low as 33 percent, Persichilli said.

“Vaccination is the best tool we have to end this pandemic,” Persichilli said. “None of us would want our vulnerable loved ones put at further risk due to their caregiver or health care provider. Ensuring these individuals are fully vaccinated or have been tested will help protect those who live in these congregate settings or need hospital care.”

Murphy said he would like to see the same level of vaccinations in these facilities as they are seeing statewide, if not higher. As of Monday, 5.3 million New Jersey residents have been fully vaccinated.

He acknowledged that such a mandate may lead to worker shortages.

"It might, but we don't have any choice," Murphy said. "Worker shortages vs. keeping people alive. It's a tough reality. I think worker shortages have been much more acute in small business settings, but there is no question you've got some workers who rightfully might be afraid about going back to work in an indoor environment in a health care setting, but we have no choice."

It will be up to each entity to determine how often it will test those who opt not to get vaccinated, but it will be at least once or twice a week, Murphy said. Workers won't have to get vaccinated on their own time, and similar programs for other state workers are to be determined, Murphy said.

"Veterans homes are already testing three times a week," Murphy said. "Our state correctional facilities, psychiatric hospitals, and developmental centers have also already instituted testing regimes. University Hospital in Newark has already mandated vaccination for all of its employees, with no testing opt-out. The Port Authority has announced a testing program for all of its unvaccinated employees."

The announcement comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidance around masking. As of July 31, all of New Jersey's 21 counties except one have now entered "high" or "substantial" levels of coronavirus transmission, meaning that the CDC wants residents in those counties to wear face masks again in indoor public settings — including schools, workplaces and public buildings — even if they've been vaccinated. Read more: CDC Says Face Masks Should Now Be Worn In Nearly All NJ Counties