December 15: The State of the State: COVID-19 Q and A with the Governor’s Office, DOL, and DOH
Today we heard from the Governor’s Office and state agencies on NJ’s near and long-term plans to slow the spread of COVID-19, including the rollout of a newly available vaccine and the implementation of worker protection Executive Order 192. Deborah Cornavaca, Deputy Chief of Staff at Governor Murphy's Office, outlined the state’s vaccination plan for the coming months, including a tier system to prioritize frontline workers and immunization record-keeping to track both stages of vaccination. She emphasized the importance of community outreach about the vaccine and working with community leaders. Jill Gutierrez, Director of Strategic Planning and Outreach for the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development and Justin Baker, who serves as Chief of Occupational Health at the NJ Department of Labor summarized the protections and benefits under Executive Order 192, effective November 5th, to expand COVID protections for workers. Key components require employers to provide face masks free of charge to employees, conduct daily health checks, promptly notify employees of any known exposure at the workplace, and routine cleaning and disinfecting. The EO also includes two important provisions: enforcement and training. A COVID complaint form can be found here. Justin spoke about the process to file a complaint, highlighting that all complaints are [...]