Friday was the last day to get a first COVID-19 shot at the
Meadowlands mega sites in East Rutherford, as the state begins
to phase out its
six mega sites.
The
site will only be open for second doses moving forward. The change comes as state and
local leaders begin to focus on more localized and community-based vaccination
sites.
The Meadowlands
site is the third mega site to stop offering first doses. Both the
Atlantic and Gloucester County sites stopped Wednesday. Morris County will stop
on June 23, Middlesex County on June 26, and Burlington County on July 1.
“I just finished doing my second shot so it just seems like it’s going quickly and everybody should just get it done,” says Dwyane Jackman, of East Orange.
Gov. Phil Murphy also
signed a bill today ending New Jersey's public
health emergency, along with more than 100 executive orders. But 14 of them will remain in place
through the end of the year, including the Eviction and Shutoff Moratorium,
COVID-19 restrictions at day
camps, and the
ability to reimpose mask mandates.
Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig
Coughlin said in a joint statement, "While we celebrate this
milestone in our fight against COVID-19, we also acknowledge that the fight
against this virus is not over. This legislation ensures that the
administration has the tools and flexibility necessary to continue vaccination
and testing efforts, ensure protections for vulnerable populations, and oversee
and coordinate the health care system, to address this ongoing threat."
The bill does
allow the governor to ask the Legislature for a 90-day extension of the
remaining emergency powers come January. Sweeney's office says the
extension is meant to be one time only.