On Friday, June 4, Governor Murphy signed legislation that
effectively ends the New Jersey COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
Order that has been in place since March 9, 2020.
While some have commented that the bills were rushed through the
State legislature, the Bill, A-5820/S-3866, was
passed and signed by the governor yesterday.
As passed, the Bill allows for the continuation of 14
executive orders, including Executive Order No.
229, which extended a moratorium preventing New Jersey
residents from having their utilities disconnected through June 30,
2021.
According to the Chamber of Commerce, the Administration is
authorized to issue orders, directives, and waivers under the
authority in the Emergency Health Powers Act that are specifically
related to:
- personnel allocation and health resource allocation
efforts; - testing;
- vaccinations;
- health department coordination;
- data retention, sharing, collection and access; and
- implementation of CDC recommendations to prevent the
transmission of COVID-19.
In these instances, the Governor has retained authority
until January 11, 2022, which authority can be extended
for 90 days with the passage of a concurrent resolution by the
Legislature.
As of July 4, 2021, the Bill and the follow on
companion bill effectively puts an end the Public Health Emergency
declaration in New Jersey.
Duane Morris has an active team of lawyers who
have been engaged in the review and dissemination of COVID related
alerts, blogs and advice on various COVID related topics.
Please see our website for a few list of all available articles and
blogs.
If you have any questions or thoughts, please contact
Brad A. Molotsky, Sharon Caffrey, Elizabeth Mincer, Eve
Klein, Kathy O’Malley or any of the Duane Morris
lawyers you regularly engage with.
Be well and stay safe.
Disclaimer: This Alert has been
prepared and published for informational purposes only and is not
offered, nor should be construed, as legal advice. For more
information, please see the firm’s
full disclaimer.
