Gov. Murphy announces NJ school mask mandate. Here's what you need to know

With COVID cases and hospitalizations rising, Gov. Phil Murphy reversed his stance Friday and is now requiring everyone in K-12 schools in New Jersey to wear masks when the new academic year begins next month. 

"This is not an announcement that gives any of us or me personally any pleasure," Murphy said at a Friday news conference at an East Brunswick elementary school. "But as the school year approaches and the numbers rapidly increasing it is the one we need to make right now."

Murphy made the announcement during a live press conference.

Here is a guide to the mandate:

Who does this mask mandate apply to?

The mandate applies to all students, teachers, staff and visitors to any school in New Jersey. 

It covers all public, private and parochial schools.

Are there exceptions to the mandate?

Yes. 

There are a number of exceptions to the mandate that mirror last year's mask rules. Among them:

  • Students with documented medical conditions or disabilities that make wearing a mask dangerous. 
  • "Rigorous activity" in gym class.
  • Excessive heat.
  • Playing a musical instrument.
  • Eating in a classroom or cafeteria.

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Do students have to wear them outdoors?

It appears they do not.

The executive order signed by Murphy on Friday only mentions indoor settings.

What will it take to lift the mask mandate?

As with all of Murphy's reopening plans, he did not give specific metrics Friday that would allow schools to lift his mask mandate. 

Murphy said it will be lifted "as soon as conditions allow" and "please, God, sooner than later." 

"This is not permanent," he said.

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Are all schools still going to be in-person and full time?

Murphy said Friday that schools will reopen next month in-person and full time — something that he has been adamant about for months. It is a stark contrast to last year when most districts began the year fully remote or in a hybrid model.

"We remain steadfast in the recognition that our children learn better in a classroom setting tailored for their educations," Murphy said Friday.

What do health experts say on universal school masking?

Weeks before Murphy's announcement, two major health organizations recommended universal masking in schools because vaccines are still not available for anyone younger than 12. 

In July, the American Academy of Pediatrics said everyone in K-12 schools should wear masks regardless of vaccination status to safely get everyone back in schools come September.

A week later, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its guidelines for mask-wearing to recommend that everyone in K-12 schools — students, staff, teachers and visitors — should wear masks.

Schools in New Jersey and elsewhere were not a major source of transmission last academic year, since there was universal masking, social distancing and at least part-time remote learning in most districts.

New Jersey had 1,263 COVID cases linked to in-school activity last academic year among more than 1 million students, teachers and staff, Murphy said.

Why now?

New Jersey is still a month away from the start of the school year, but the state's COVID-19 metrics have been trending in the wrong direction over the past month. 

It's a surprising turn that most health officials didn't expect to happen until the weather got cooler and more people headed indoors where the risk of transmission is much higher. 

COVID hospitalizations had almost doubled to 599 on Thursday, the most since late May. Hospitalizations were between 400 and 500 at the start of the last school year, when vaccines were not available.

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Only 97 people were in intensive care on Wednesday and 38 were on ventilators. But that's still double the amount from early July. Daily reported deaths have mostly remained in the single digits.

Meanwhile, daily COVID vaccination efforts have slowed considerably in New Jersey, going from about 40,000 shots a day in mid-June to fewer than 20,000 in recent weeks.

Still, New Jersey's vaccination rate is better than much of the U.S. About 5.3 million New Jerseyans — about 58% of the state's 9.2 million residents — are fully vaccinated. About 51% of all Americans are fully vaccinated.

As of Friday, every county in New Jersey was considered to have substantial or high transmission rates except Warren, according to the CDC.

How much is the delta variant to blame?

The rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations comes as the highly contagious delta variant has become the dominant strain in New Jersey. 

Delta made up 83.9% of all coronavirus strains in New Jersey as of July 17, the most recent date for which data is available. It's a tremendous increase from June 5, when it was at 7.3%,  and May 8, when it was first detected at 1.3%

The delta variant's "widespread impacts are no longer something that we can look at casually," Murphy said this week. 

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As the delta variant virus is more infectious, you need to have a higher percentage of people who are immune to keep it from spreading from person to person, said Dr. Ed Lifshitz, medical director of the state Health Department.

How many school-age children are vaccinated?

Vaccines have only been authorized for those 12 to 17 years since May.

Since then, 37.7% of that age group has been fully vaccinated in New Jersey. About 47% have had at least one dose.

When will vaccines be available to younger students?

Hopes for emergency authorization in early autumn for 5- to 11-year-olds were likely dashed when the Federal Drug Administration asked Pfizer and Moderna to expand their vaccine trials. 

The agency wants more data on rare side effects including two conditions — myocarditis and pericarditis — that inflame the heart and the lining around the heart, respectively. That could push authorization back until late October or later. 

Why did Murphy change?

Murphy surprised many when he lifted the mask mandate in June considering the new school year was still more than two months away at the time.

But when he made the announcement on June 29, most of New Jersey's COVID metrics were the lowest they have been since the pandemic began. The numbers began to rise within two weeks and haven't stopped.

Murphy, a Democrat, is also seeking reelection. His move in June took the decision-making away from him and placed it with superintendents and school boards to make what was expected to be a tough call in many communities.

His Republican opponent, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, criticized the decision hours before it was announced, saying parents should make the decision.

Murphy's "decision to require masks for K-12 students is a bewildering reversal of his position of just a few weeks ago," Ciattarelli said.

Hours latter, Murphy countered without naming his opponent.

"Anyone telling you that we can safely reopen our schools without requiring everyone inside to be wearing a mask is quite simply lying to you," Murphy said.

Parents protesting Gov. Phil Murphy's announcement Friday to impose a mask mandate in New Jersey schools this fall

How much opposition is there to mask mandates?

A Gallup poll this week reported that two-thirds of U.S. adults and 60% of K-12 parents support mask mandates for unvaccinated teachers and staff members. About 64% of adults and 57% of parents favor mask mandates for unvaccinated students.

At Murphy's announcement Friday, about 100 parents — some with children — crowded outside Memorial school in East Brunswick chanting with megaphones while the governor spoke indoors. They shouted: "Murphy is a criminal!" and "We are not a communist country. This is not a democracy — this is tyranny!" 

Scott Fallon covers the environment for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news about how New Jersey’s environment affects your health and well-being,  please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: fallon@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @newsfallon