Citing a statewide COVID-19 transmission rate that has fallen below 1.0, Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty on Thursday rescinded his executive order mandating mask wearing inside all businesses and venues.
The order had been in place since Christmas Eve, when the Omicron variant was spreading rapidly.
Dougherty still is recommending that businesses and venues “require staff and encourage customers” and visitors to wear masks or facial shields inside when within six feet of others.
His recommendation, as with the prior mandate, exempts children under age 2, persons whose disabilities preclude safely wearing masks, people eating or drinking inside restaurants and taverns, and individuals whose work cannot be performed safely while masked, as determined by regulators.
On Thursday, New Jersey’s transmission rate was 0.83, below the 1.0 mark that indicates spread of the virus.
Over the last day, Morristown has seen 23 new cases, for a total of 4,193 since March 2020, according to Morris County statistics.
Morris Township has 31 new cases (total 3,534) and Morris Plains, six new cases (1,063).
Although enforcement of the original order was unclear — no penalties were spelled out for violations–it provided a buffer for local establishments, which were able to tell customers that they were adhering to municipal rules.
Since all mandates are strictly based on following the science, you must accept the following without question: 1) Our benevolent rulers in Mtown had access to much better science than the St of NJ, since there was no broader mask mandates statewide. 2) If the state infection rate is .83, then Mtown MUST be lower due to the protective measure put in place and 3) Countless lives were saved in Mtown over the last month.
The data and studies supporting this will be released shortly. Until then, continue to follow the science.
One Covid theatre prop is no longer mandated. Great!
Common sense would indicate that a Morristown mandate would be based on the Morristown transmission rate, based on it’s population and not that of the entire State.