New Jersey’s most populous city is about to institute a vaccine mandate.
On Friday, Newark announced that its mayor (who just tested positive for Covid) will sign an executive order requiring proof of vaccination for those 5 years and olderto enter the following establishments which will also be required to post signage:
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Restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, including taverns, coffee shops and fast-food establishments that have seating
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Breweries, wineries, and distillery tasting rooms
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Mixed-use facilities
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Food courts
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Indoor entertainment establishments, including nightclubs, hookah bars, pool and billiard halls, and cigar bars
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Concert, and sporting venues
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Movie theatres
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Bowling alleys
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Indoor exercise and recreational establishments, including exercise facilities, dance, yoga, and Pilates studios
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Any facilities used for group fitness classes
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Indoor event and meeting establishments, including hotel common rooms, banquet halls, conference centers meeting facilities, convention centers, auditoriums
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Shared work facilities
The Brick City mandate takes effect Monday, but the mandate doesn’t apply to the following establishments:
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Houses of worship
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Grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and food service establishments providing charitable food services
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Pharmacies, medical offices, urgent care centers, or hospitals
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Hardware stores, and retail establishments where people tend to be in motion and not standing or seated in close proximity to others for long periods of time
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Private meeting spaces in residences or office buildings
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Governmental facilities; warming and cooling centers, day service facilities for homeless persons, shelters serving homeless persons or victims of domestic violence
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Election polling places
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Other facilities as exempted by the Department of Health
Anyone going inside a covered indoor area for a “quick and limited purposes” (like picking up takeout) or someone who is “entitled by law to a reasonable accommodation due to a medical condition or a sincerely held religious belief” is exempt.
As of January 10th, “persons entering a facility or business must show proof of at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose; and be fully vaccinated three weeks later.”
“Newark’s latest three-day test positivity rate has spiked to 27.16 percent. Guided by this data, the City of Newark is taking firm and aggressive action to prevent its spread and protect our residents and workers. Newark will continue to meet the challenge of COVID-19 with determination,” Mayor Ras Baraka added.
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