Vaccine Proof Needed To Enter Many Businesses In This NJ Community

NEWARK, NJ — Newark is taking another step forward – or possibly backward – with its coronavirus restrictions. And this one will affect New Year’s Eve parties, officials say.

On Monday, Mayor Ras Baraka is expected to sign an executive order that requires proof of vaccination against COVID-19 for customers 5 years of age and older at many establishments and facilities in the city. It will take effect on Friday, Dec. 31.

The vaccine requirement will apply to the following businesses:

• Restaurants, bars and nightclubs, including taverns, coffee shops and fast-food establishments that have seating
• Breweries, wineries, and distillery tasting rooms
• Mixed-use facilities
• Food courts
• Indoor entertainment establishments, including nightclubs, hookah bars, pool and billiard halls, and cigar bars
• Concert, and sporting venues
• Movie theatres
• Bowling alleys
• Indoor exercise and recreational establishments, including exercise facilities, dance, yoga, and Pilates studios
• Any facilities used for group fitness classes
• Indoor event and meeting establishments, including hotel common rooms, banquet halls, conference centers meeting facilities, convention centers, auditoriums
• Shared work facilities

There are exemptions to the order, officials noted. The following establishments do not have to require proof of vaccination from their patrons:

• Houses of worship
• Grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and food service establishments providing charitable food services
• Pharmacies, medical offices, urgent care centers, or hospitals
• Hardware stores, and retail establishments where people tend to be in motion and not standing or seated in close proximity to others for long periods of time
• Private meeting spaces in residences or office buildings
• Governmental facilities; warming and cooling centers, day service facilities for homeless persons, shelters serving homeless persons or victims of domestic violence
• Election polling places
• Other facilities as exempted by the Department of Health

In addition, the order does not apply to the following people:

• “Individuals entering a covered establishment for a quick and limited purpose (for example, placing an order for takeout, picking up an order, or making a delivery)”
• “A person entitled by law to a reasonable accommodation due to a medical condition or a sincerely held religious belief”

According to a statement from city officials:

“The order will commence by requiring anyone attending public New Year’s Eve events and parties to show proof of vaccination. By January 10, persons entering a facility or business must show proof of at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose; and be fully vaccinated three weeks later.”

Reaction to the vaccine mandate was swift and divided on the internet. Seen online:

According to the New Jersey Department of Health, here are the percent of people in Newark who have gotten at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine as of Dec. 22:

• All Ages - 70%
• 12 through 17 - 70%
• 12 and over - 84%
• 18 and over - 85%
• 30 and over - 91%
• 65 and over - 95%

MANDATORY MASKS

The vaccine requirement is the second big executive order Baraka has signed in a week regarding COVID-19. Last week, the mayor reinstated an indoor mask mandate in all public facilities. That order also requires that patrons be seated at a bar and wear masks unless they are actually eating or drinking.

According to Baraka, the mask mandate was brought back amid a "spike in new COVID-19 cases" and the "emergence of the omicron variant."

• See related article: Masks Are Back: Newark Indoor Mandate Returns As COVID Spikes

That concerning trend continues, he added Friday.

“Newark’s latest three-day test positivity rate has spiked to 27.16 percent,” Baraka said. “Guided by this data, the City of Newark is taking firm and aggressive action to prevent its spread and protect our residents and workers.”

“Newark will continue to meet the challenge of COVID-19 with determination,” Baraka added.

According to the latest update from Essex County, as of Dec. 27, Newark has seen 52,706 cumulative cases of COVID-19, with 1,079 deaths linked to the disease.

Over the last month, positive COVID cases among Newark public school students more than tripled — with the highest spike of 321 cases seen in the days before winter break, according to figures the district recently shared.

The state's largest school district went from having only four classes doing remote instruction as of last Wednesday to 90 classes on a fully remote plan less than a week later. The shift came ahead of the winter break that was rescheduled to start a day earlier due to the increase in COVID positive cases in the district.

• See related article: What Happens If Newark Pivots To Remote Learning In January? Here's What We Know

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