Senator Steve Oroho (R-Sussex, Warren, Morris) is again calling on Governor Murphy to immediately lift all COVID-19 restrictions, including the mask mandate for kids in schools, daycare centers, and summer camps, because they are not supported by any available scientific data.
“Governor Murphy’s piecemeal approach to lifting COVID restrictions needs to end,” said Oroho (R-24). “More than four million New Jerseyans have been vaccinated, new cases continue to decline, and the rate of transmission remains at an all-time low. It’s time for the Governor to stop playing these games and just lift all of the restrictions right now.”
Under Governor Murphy’s new executive order, No. 242, some of the remaining COVID restrictions will end Friday. Masks will no longer be required indoors, and social distancing requirements at restaurants, stores, gyms, and other businesses will be repealed. However, children will still be required to wear masks outdoors at youth summer camps, daycare centers, and schools.
“Perhaps the most troubling restriction of all is the mask mandate for kids,” added Oroho. “The fact that children in summer camps or daycare centers must continue to wear masks, even outside in the hot and humid New Jersey weather, is truly absurd. If parents want their kids to wear masks, that’s their decision, but they should not be forced to do so by Governor Murphy. It’s time to return New Jersey to some semblance of normalcy and eliminating these baseless restrictions would be an important step forward.”
“I said it before and I’m saying it again, ‘It’s time to rip the Band-Aid off and open everything up’ and do it now,” said Oroho. “We must trust the people to make their own decisions at this point.”