NJ Gov. Phil Murphy signed Executive Order 149 that has eased restrictions on child-care centers, horse racing, organized youth and other non-professional sports, and summer camps for kids.
Child Care:
o Detailed guidance for licensed child-care centers was issued.
o Child-care centers can reopen their doors to the children of non-essential workers on June 15.
o Centers that planned to open needed to alert the state and file an attestation that they would follow the state guidelines for safety and social distancing.
o Inspectors from the department will be visiting centers that reopen.
• Gov. Murphy also announced the administrative order allowing horse racing in New Jersey will resume on Monday, June 1.
o The grandstands at the state tracks will remain closed.
o Betting will take place online only.
• Youth day camps (including municipal summer recreation programs) can open July 6.
o Similar safety and social distancing requirements are being formulated by state officials and will be in place in coming weeks.
o Sleep-away and residential camps remain prohibited under the new order.
• Organized youth-sport practices can resume June 22.
o The order extends to high school and college sports programs.
o Activities must be conducted outside and for now must be limited to non-contact drills.
o Murphy said no-contact rules and other restrictions will be revisited on an ongoing basis.
• The Governor said that the 10-person limit on people who can gather inside a house of worship in New Jersey will be raised in advance of services conducted on June 12.
o He did not, however, specify what the revised limit would be.
o Murphy said state officials were working with faith leaders to establish guidance to insure congregant safety.
On Monday, June 1st, the Governor followed up EO 149 saying that he will allow restaurants to reopen for outdoor dining and “non-essential” retail to allow indoor customers, starting on June 15.
Personal care operations, such as salons and barbershops, can reopen on June 22, while gyms and health clubs will be able to reopen at some point in the coming weeks on a limited basis.
Duane Morris has created a COVID-19 Strategy Team to help organizations plan, respond to and address this fast-moving situation. Contact your Duane Morris attorney for more information. Prior Alerts on the topic are available on the team’s webpage.
For Further Information:
If you have any questions about this post, please contact Brad A. Molotsky, Paul Josephson, Elizabeth Mincer, Jimmy Greenberg or the attorney in the firm with whom you are regularly in contact.
Be well and stay safe!