TRENTON, N.J. – Nearly six years after declaring a public health emergency that reshaped daily life across New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy has officially signed Executive Order No. 415, ending the state’s long-running COVID-19 emergency along with several other long-standing disaster declarations.
That decision came just four days before he is to leave office and replaced by Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill.
The move closes one of the longest-running pandemic emergency orders in the country, coming years after most states — and the federal government — lifted similar measures. Murphy’s new order, announced Thursday, terminates multiple States of Emergency dating as far back as the Christie administration, including those tied to Hurricane Irene, Superstorm Sandy, Tropical Storm Ida, and the 2022 baby formula shortage.
In a statement, Murphy said the decision marks a “meaningful step forward” for New Jersey after enduring a series of major crises over the past decade.
“Our state has endured some of the most tragic emergencies of its history during this century,” he said, referencing storms and the pandemic that claimed more than 35,000 lives in New Jersey. “These events tested our resilience… Signing this Executive Order marks a meaningful step forward as we honor those hardships and continue moving toward a safer, more resilient future.”
Under Executive Order No. 415, most of the terminated emergencies will expire on Friday, January 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. However, the COVID-19 State of Emergency — declared on March 9, 2020, through Executive Order No. 103 — will remain in place for one final 30-day extension to allow Advanced Practice Nurses time to conclude any remaining pandemic-era emergency protocols. That order will officially end on February 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.
Murphy’s original March 2020 declaration came at the onset of the global pandemic, when COVID-19 was still described by federal agencies as a fast-spreading respiratory disease with limited treatment options. At that time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 114,000 confirmed cases worldwide and just over 500 in the United States.
Over the years, the emergency declaration provided the legal framework for wide-ranging public health measures, including health and vaccine mandates, firing unvaccinated employees, business shutdowns, mask mandates, and healthcare staffing adjustments. While most restrictions were lifted by mid-2022, the emergency order itself technically remained active to allow the state to retain certain regulatory flexibilities in healthcare.
The decision to formally close the COVID-19 emergency comes as New Jersey — one of the hardest-hit states in the early days of the pandemic — continues to rebuild economically and socially. The end of the declaration also symbolizes a shift toward normalcy for the Murphy administration, which has faced both praise and criticism for its cautious approach to winding down pandemic-era powers just days before ending.
Murphy’s Executive Order No. 415 effectively turns the page on more than a decade of rolling emergencies, marking the first time since 2011 that New Jersey will be without any statewide emergency declarations.
