Princeton Declares State Of Emergency, Issues Indoor Mask Mandate

Princeton NJ

10 January, 2022

4:46 PM

Description

PRINCETON, NJ – Mayor Mark Freda and the Office of Emergency Management declared a state of emergency in Princeton on Monday evening, as COVID-19 cases spike in the Municipality. Effective 5 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 13, face coverings will be required in public indoor spaces including restaurants, bars, gymnasiums, dance studios, recreation facilities, retail stores, cafes, supermarkets, convenience stores, places of worship, commercial establishments, salons, barbershops, banks, healthcare facilities, hotels, and government buildings and facilities. Employees and patrons must wear a mask at all times except when eating or drinking, when socially distanced at least six feet apart for an extended period of time, and when performing for an audience or worship service. Children under the age of three and those with a medical condition that precludes mask wearing are exempt from the requirement, according to the mandate. Establishments will be required to post signage notifying patrons of the requirement, officials said. The order will remain in effect until 12 a.m., on Jan. 31. Neighboring towns like South Brunswick issued mask mandates on New Year's Eve when COVID-19 cases began to spike due to the omicron variant. Read More: Indoor Mask Mandate In South Brunswick, Schools Go Virtual Currently, New Jersey is seeing a high hospitalization rate than at any point since the end of April 2020, according to officials. On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy said that the mask mandate for students and staff in New Jersey's schools and daycare facilities will continue for the foreseeable future, even though the mandate is set to expire Tuesday. Read More: NJ School Mask Mandate To Continue, Murphy Says Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email [email protected] Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news