New rules require all teachers, school staff to be vaccinated or tested
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
All teachers and school staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 18 or will have to get tested for the coronavirus at least once or twice a week.
That new order for all public, private, charter and parochial schools was announced Monday by Gov. Phil Murphy.
The same rule will apply to all state employees – state agencies, authorities, colleges and universities.
The new order is due to the spread of the more transmissible Delta variant and because children under age 12 are not eligible for vaccinations.
“Scientific data shows that vaccination and testing requirements, coupled with strong masking policies, are the best tools for keeping our schools and communities safe for in-person activities,” Murphy said. “As the school year rapidly approaches, my administration is continuing to do all that we can to ensure a safe, full-time, in-person learning environment for our students, many of whom are not yet eligible for vaccination. Additionally, it is critically important to extend our vaccination and testing requirement to our state employees, so that they can continue to safely provide vital government services for the benefit of all New Jerseyans. We will continue to work collaboratively with school officials, teachers unions, and public-sector union partners over the next several weeks as this new requirement goes into effect.”
This order is combined with another imposed by the governor a few weeks ago requiring all students and staff to wear masks whenever they are in school buildings.
Cape May County officials, in their weekly report released last Thursday, said the rate of infection is declining in the county but that it was at 1.22, down from 1.39 a week earlier. That means 1.22 people can be infected by every person with the coronavirus. During the pandemic, the goal was to get the rate of transmission well below 1.0.
However, the number of active cases in the county is now closing in on the winter peaks in January, when there were 545 cases of the coronavirus in the county. In last week’s report, there were 539 active cases as the county closed in on 10,000 overall COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. On Thursday, that number stood at 9,970, including 9,401 in the communities and 464 in long-term care facilities.
The county also reported two deaths attributed to COVID-19 last week, a 64-year-old man from Wildwood and a 74-year-old man from Lower Township.
Of the 539 active cases, the most were in Middle Township (141) and Lower Township (121). Other cases included 64 in Wildwood, 40 in Upper Township, 32 in Ocean City, 26 in Dennis Township, 24 in Wildwood Crest, 20 in North Wildwood, 19 in Sea Isle City, 18 in Woodbine, 13 in Cape May, 11 in West Cape May, 4 in West Wildwood, 3 each in Stone Harbor and Avalon and none in Cape May Point.
County officials urged people to get vaccinated. To find locations call (609) 465-1187 or go online to capemaycountynj.gov/226/Health-Department. Among other locations, vaccinations are available 1 to 6 p.m. every Wednesday at the Cape May County Department of Health building, 6 Moore Road, Cape May Court House.
In Atlantic County – which reported just shy of 500 new cases of COVID-19 over the past week – free vaccinations are being given to residents 18 and old 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the Division of Public Health, First Floor Clinic, 201 S. Shore Road, Northfield. No appointment is necessary. Face masks are required.