TRENTON, NJ – Indoor dining is returning to New Jersey on July 2nd and here are the rules set forth by Governor Phil Murphy. Restaurants must limit the number of patrons in indoor areas to 25 percent of the food or beverage establishment’s indoor capacity, excluding the food or beverage establishment’s employees. Operators must ensure that tables, where individuals or groups are seated, are six feet apart in all directions from any other table or seat and that individual seats in any shared area that is not reserved for individual groups, such as an indoor bar area, are also six feet apart in all directions from any other table or seat.
While inside the restaurant or bar, patrons must wear face coverings except when seated at their table or in their individual seats. This requirement does not apply if the patron has a medical reason for not wearing a face-covering or is a child under two years of age.
Food or beverage establishments with table service may only allow patrons to place orders when seated, and only wait staff may bring food or beverages to seated patrons. Patrons may only consume food or beverages while seated.
All customers and operators must abide by all other health and safety standards issued by the Commissioner of the Department of Health, including infection control practices and other sanitization protocols, consistent with her authority under the Emergency Health Powers Act.
The order was set into law by Governor Phil Murphy Friday when he signed Executive Order No. 157.
“As we enter into the later phases of stage two of our restart, we ask New Jerseyans to continue to answer the call of personal responsibility that has gotten us this far,” said Governor Murphy.“We have been actively working up to this point for weeks and are confident that the health metrics we needed to see are in place.”