TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy has signed Executive Order (EO) No. 332, in response to recent changes in federal regulations regarding COVID-19 vaccines. This order lifts the COVID-19 vaccination requirements for health care settings in New Jersey.
Previously, an executive order signed on April 3, 2023, eliminated the requirement for employees in health care settings to undergo routine testing if they were not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations. It also removed both the COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for workers in congregate settings. Today’s EO completes the removal of the requirement for health care settings to maintain a policy mandating their workers to be up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations.
Governor Phil Murphy stated, “Today’s order brings our state in line with recent updates to federal requirements and acknowledges the changing circumstances we are facing now compared to the past few years. My administration will continue to take responsible steps to adjust New Jersey’s COVID-19 policies and guidance accordingly. COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and I urge all residents to stay up to date on their vaccinations. Vaccination remains a crucial public health measure to protect our health care workers and the patients they care for.”
Health care settings encompass various facilities, such as long-term care facilities, psychiatric and specialty hospitals, long-term residential substance abuse disorder treatment facilities, clinic-based settings like Federally Qualified Health Centers and family planning sites, as well as community-based health care settings like pediatric and adult medical day care programs.
These changes are a response to the recent announcement by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), stating that the rule requiring most employees of Medicare and Medicaid-certified health care providers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for eligibility to participate in Medicare and Medicaid will be rescinded and no longer enforced. EO No. 332 aligns New Jersey with these changes.
The EO was also prompted by recent modifications to the Emergency Use Authorizations of COVID-19 vaccines issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These modifications clarify that individuals can now receive one dose of the Moderna or Pfizer bivalent mRNA vaccine regardless of their prior vaccination status.
Similar to the previous executive order, individual employers have the option to enforce vaccination or testing protocols that exceed the statewide requirements. Additionally, the New Jersey Department of Health will continue to track vaccination data regarding health care settings.