Public areas across New Jersey choose to relax coronavirus restrictions as pandemic declines
The city of New Brunswick as well as the New Jersey Statehouse decided to relax remaining coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in public areas in light of the recent lower transmission rate amid the pandemic.
New Brunswick Mayor Jim Cahill (D) announced on March 16 that restrictions in public spaces of the city such as the City Hall, parts of Civic Square, the Senior Citizen Resource Center and Hub Teen Center will no longer be mandated next Monday, according to the press release.
The new guidelines include the wearing of masks no longer being required and were set to still be in accordance with the newly relaxed guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New Jersey Department of Health.
New Brunswick will also set a restriction in place to limit the number of visitors in a public space at certain times and require a temperature check of all visitors and confirmation that they are free of COVID-19 symptoms. Visitors in public buildings will then be provided with temporary access passes, according to the release.
The city also intends to return to in-person public meetings, which will be effective starting next Friday, according to the release.
Following a vote at a state panel to lift the remaining COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday, the New Jersey Statehouse will no longer continue its mask mandate or rules for limited capacities. The State Capitol Joint Management Commission approved the decision unanimously, according to the article from NJ Advance Media.
The resolution also will require that hand sanitizer stations and COVID-19 signage should be removed, and that indoor furniture that was initially removed to promote social distancing will be brought back.
“We’re erring on the side of openness because this building has more of a responsibility to the public,” said Seth Hahn, executive director of the Assembly Majority Office and chairman of the management commission. “We’re going back to normal.”
