Gov. Murphy defends masking in schools decision on ‘Face the Nation’ as COVID-19 slows in NJ

Hospitalizations continued their slow decline – 1,429 patients are currently being treated in the state's hospitals. That number is down by more than 300 in just the past five days.

News 12 Staff

Feb 14, 2022, 5:52 PM

Updated 1,026 days ago

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New Jersey is reporting 908 new cases of COVID-19 – the low figure could be attributed to the weekend and the snowy weather.
The rate of transmission held steady at 0.50.
Hospitalizations continued their slow decline – 1,429 patients are currently being treated in the state's hospitals. That number is down by more than 300 in just the past five days.
Days after Gov. Phil Murphy announced plans to lift mask mandates in New Jersey schools, Camden City district says it will keep its in place until March 7. The district joins Newark, which was the first district to announce it would continue the mandate.
Murphy said it was their call. He was on "Face the Nation" on Sunday, where he said the COVID-19 is entering the endemic phase.
“We feel it is the responsible step to take to allow districts to – if they so choose based on their local health realities working with their local health officers – to make a decision on their own. My gut tells me, particularly as we get into warmer weather in the spring and assuming the virus continues to go in the right direction, you'll have the overwhelming amount of districts lifting the mandate," he said.  
Once the mandate is gone at the end of the month, it will be the first time students in the state will head to class without masks in almost two years.