As Gov. Phil Murphy (D) ends the school mask mandates across the state today, the City of Hoboken is lifting their COVID-19 state of emergency after two years.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“After two long, hard years, we are finally at a time where it is no longer necessary to remain under a State of Emergency,” Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a statement.
“This is a credit to everyone who has chosen to get vaccinated and boosted, which has helped get us through the hard times of the past year. We will continue to be guided by science as the pandemic becomes an endemic, utilizing the tools we know will protect our residents.”
The Hoboken Office of Emergency Management first declared a state of emergency on March 12th, 2020 and signed an order today lifting it.
In today’s order, Hoboken OEM Coordinator Sgt. William Montanez cited the Mile Square City’s 85 percent vaccination rate (nearly 100 percent among seniors), .95 percent infection rate, 1.3 percent positive test rate, and the lifting of mask mandates as reasons for moving forward.
City spokeswoman Marilyn Baer said that appointments at City Hall are still preferred, given that many services are now accessible online, though visitors will not have to have their temperatures checked or sign in any longer, with face masks optional.
Furthermore, city council meetings will be held in person again starting in April.
In an interview with CNBC this morning, Murphy said he hopes that mask mandates are done in school forever.
” … It feels very much like we are on that road from pandemic to endemic, that we’ll be able to live with this in a normal way responsibly, like we do with the flu. It very much feels like that’s where we’re headed right now, and let’s hope it stays that way,” he said.
Additionally, Bhalla’s third State of the City Address will be given virtually at 7 p.m. this evening.
