New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order lifting the state's COVID-19 vaccine requirement for workers at regulated healthcare settings, his office said in a June 12 news release.
The move comes after the federal government earlier in June finalized the end of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees of CMS-certified healthcare facilities.
In April, Mr. Murphy signed an executive order lifting COVID-19 testing requirements for healthcare and congregate settings. The executive order he signed June 12 lifts the remaining requirement that healthcare settings maintain a policy requiring employees to provide proof that they are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations.
Mr. Murphy cited the recent CMS decision, as well as recent changes issued by the FDA to the emergency use authorizations of the COVID-19 vaccines, as contributing factors for the new executive order.
A news release from his office said individual employers may continue to require vaccination or testing protocols, and state officials may continue to track vaccination data with respect to healthcare settings.
New York also recently announced plans to drop its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for hospital workers.