New Jersey Updates COVID Restrictions to Align with New CDC Guidance

TRENTON, May 27, 2021 – NFIB, or the National Federation of Independent Business, is more optimistic about the Garden State’s re-opening and the future of small business in the state. This comes after Governor Murphy’s announcement that because of new guidelines from the CDC, more restrictions will be lifted to help New Jersey’s small businesses continue to recover from the health and economic crisis and pandemic.

Starting tomorrow, the state’s indoor mask mandate is no longer in effect. Also, most remaining restrictions on venues, including restaurants, will be lifted on this date. This order rescinds all social distancing requirements and capacity restrictions, with some limited exceptions.

Starting June 4, all remaining indoor gathering limits will be lifted. You can read the full text of the governor’s order here.

State Director for NFIB in New Jersey, Eileen Kean, reacts to the Governor’s announcement:

“This is a great news for New Jersey small businesses getting ready for the unofficial start of summer. The easing of government restrictions and the reopening of the economy is the first big step in the right direction for small business recovery.

“Main Street businesses are delighted that normalcy is around the corner and limitations are being lifted for Memorial Day weekend. It is a huge relief that the kick-off to summer is a reopening, but significant challenges remain. Many small businesses still can’t hire help and it is time for New Jersey to join other states that have eliminated the additional $300 federal unemployment benefit that is keeping potential employees from rejoining the workforce.”

According to a recent national study of NFIB members, that 48% of their local community will not return to the pre-crisis level of economic activity until sometime in 2022 or later.

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For more than 75 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses, and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.