NJ Gov. Murphy announces private health care workers must vaccinate or get regular tests

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that as of Sept. 7, workers at certain health care facilities and what the state refers to as "high-risk congregate settings" – including both state-run and private – will have to either by fully vaccinated against coronavirus or get tested as often as twice a week.

"While reaching our statewide vaccination goal has so far dampened the impact of the Delta variant in New Jersey, some of our most vulnerable populations remain at risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19 primarily due to exposure to unvaccinated individuals, "Murphy said in a statement. "We are taking this step today because it has been proven time and time again that vaccines save lives and are our way out of this pandemic. Individuals in health care facilities should have confidence in their caretakers, and this measure will help ensure peace of mind for those in higher-risk settings." Private facilities impacted by the directive include assisted-living facilities, county jails, specialty hospitals, and some in-patient rehab centers. Public ones include a number of veterans' homes and psychiatric hospitals.