TRENTON Gov. Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order No. 138 which extends the Public Health Emergency initially declared on March 9.
Extending this declaration ensures that we can continue using every resource at our disposal to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,Murphy said.But I want to ensure that this extension is not interpreted to mean that we are reconsidering our path forward or changing course on the principles I laid out last week in the Road Back plan. We will continue to stand by these principles and protect public health as we responsibly take steps to get the economy moving again.
Executive Order No. 138 extends all Executive Orders previously issued under the governor's authority under the Emergency Health Powers Act. It also extends all actions taken by any Executive Branch departments and agencies in response to the Public Health Emergency presented by the COVID-19 outbreak.
As of May 5, there were over 130,000 positive cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey, with at least 8,244 of those cases having resulted in deaths in every county.
The Public Health Emergency was initially declared on March 9 through Executive Order No. 103 and extended on April 7 through Executive Order No. 119. Under the Emergency Health Powers Act, a declared public health emergency expires after 30 days unless renewed.
For the full text of Executive Order No. 138, click here.
