Murphy removes limits on childcare facilities

New Jersey will again relax its virus restrictions, allowing some employers to verify their workers’ vaccination status to forgo masking and rescinding a rule that required employees to work virtually whenever possible, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday.

But the biggest shift is the lifting capacity limits on childcare facilities. Currently, such facilities are capped to 15 children. Those restrictions are being lifted immediately.

“We know how critical access to childcare is for many working families, especially for working moms, and restoring these limits to their pre-pandemic standard is an important piece of getting our economy back working for more parents, as well as for peace of mind,” the governor said.

The limited availability of childcare, whether because of virtual schooling or restrictions on day cares and similar facilities, have been marked as a barrier to the state’s economic recovery. If parents need to take care of their children, the argument goes, they can’t work.

The new rules allowing vaccinated employees in offices and similar settings that are not open to the public to forego masks if they prove their vaccination status to their employer will go into effect on June 4.

Rules rescinding businesses to allow employees to work remotely will lapse on the same day, though there’s no requirement that employers call their workers back to the office.

“We encourage all employers to do the right things for their specific work places,” Murphy said. “While we are rescinding some requirements, that doesn’t mean that we don’t expect you to be flexible and work with employees, particularly those who are juggling family obligations such as childcare.”