TRENTON, NJ – On Monday, Phil Murphy said there’s some reading between the lines that needs to be done by New Jerseyans as he steers the state in the same COVID-19 public health direction as New York, California, and Colorado.
Murphy, when talking about his own state’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic said some rule-breaking and veering astray from the CDC recommendations might be necessary.
In particular, he was talking about COVID-19 booster shots. Earlier in the day he had told New Jerseyans to get the booster, even if they’re technically not eligible based on the scientific data presented by the CDC for boosters.
“We have been – I think we might be in a class of one in terms of American states that have been as adherent as we’ve been, Judy, but there’s not much – I’ll speak for myself – that’s preventing us from just saying you know what? If you’re six months out or two months out in the J&J case and you’re 18 and up, go get them,” he said.
Then he said something that should send chills up and down the spines of every New Jersey resident.
“You’ve probably read between the lines that’s kind of what I’m saying today, but I – we want to make sure we get this right, obviously want to make sure the health and medical experts bless that,” he said. “You’ve seen what California is – the direction they’re headed, Colorado, New York City. I think you can assume that that’s a direction we’re going to be headed.”
New York City, Colorado, and California have vaccine mandates, vaccine passports, and restrictions in place against the unvaccinated.
On October 1st, California became the first state to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for children to attend public school. This could be one of the tools in Murphy’s arsenals going forward.
Even though Murphy was accused of waiting until after the election to roll out a vaccine mandate by Project Veritas, Murphy declared before the election that he would not.
This week, Colorado enacted a law that requires proof of vaccination for large public events.
And everyone in New Jersey knows about New York’s strict vaccination requirements that bar the unvaccinated population from many indoor facilities.
Murphy foreshadowed for New Jersey. His policy for vaccination, if it is going to look more like New York City, California, and Colorado, means vaccine mandates for children, non-public employees, vaccination passports, and vaccine segregation.
Let’s hope he keeps his pre-election promise and doesn’t impose mandates now that he has won his election.