COVID-19 related communciations...

Vaccines are available for FREE to everyone in New Jersey

Everyone 12 or older who lives, works, or studies in New Jersey can now get their COVID-19 vaccine.When we say everyone, we mean EVERYONE – even fans of the New England Patriots.

COVID-19 vaccines are FREE, and you can get vaccinated whether you have insurance or not and regardless of your documentation status.

Vaccine sites may request documentation, but you are not required to have it to receive the vaccine and you cannot be denied access to the vaccine for not having an ID.

Getting your COVID-19 vaccine is easy.

P.S. If you've decided to get one and just need to choose where to do it:

• Make an appointment or attend a pop-up or mobile vaccination event in your community. It's up to you! 

Appointments for homebound

The New Jersey Department of Health has launched a program that can provide in-home COVID-19 vaccine appointments for homebound persons, and has begun accepting requests for this important service.  If you are unable to leave home to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, or you are the family member or caregiver of someone who is homebound, you may request an in-home vaccination appointment by completing a Request for In-Home Vaccination at https://covid19.nj.gov/homeboundvax.  For assistance completing the survey by phone, please call the NJ COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center at 855-568-0545.  After you submit the request, the DOH will share your information with a home health agency, local health department, or other vaccination provider, and you will be contacted to schedule an in-home vaccination appointment.  You can visit the webpage https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/testing-and-treatment/how-can-i-get-the-covid-19-vaccine-if-im-homebound to learn more about this program.  If you are able to safely attend a medical appointment outside the home, we encourage you to book an appointment at an open vaccination site if such an opportunity occurs before an in-home appointment is available to you. Visit here to learn more: https://covid19.nj.gov/pages/finde 

Vax and Visit with the State Parks Vax Pass 

Beginning Thursday, May 27, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will offer a free State Parks Vax Pass under the new “Vax and Visit” campaign to all New Jersey residents who receive at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccination by July 4, 2021. The State Parks Vax Pass, which will be of the same value as the Annual State Parks Pass, will allow free access to all of New Jersey’s 51 State parks and forest facilities that charge daily walk-in or parking fees, from Thursday, May 27 through December 31, 2021.  

New Jersey residents who have received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will be able to request a State Parks Vax Pass upon entry at any one of the state’s 51 parks, including Island Beach State Park. The Department of Environmental Protection will also provide refunds to residents who already purchased Annual State Park Passes this year and have received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Mobile COVID-19 testing and vaccination

The County of Bergen is teaming up with Bergen New Bridge Medical Center to host five regional mobile COVID-19 testing and vaccination locations for the month of May.

Click here to see how you can help?

Dedicated vaccine phone number for those 75 years and older : 1-856-249-7007

If you are having difficulties registering for the COVID vaccination or have any other COVID concerns call the New Jersey State Call-In Center at 1-855-568-0545. 

For COVID-19 Quarantine information click here

For COVID-19 Quarantine information in Korean click here

Do you have questions about getting tested for COVID-19, contact tracing, traveling to or from the State of New Jersey, or even finding a new job? The State of New Jersey offers up-to-date information, resources, and guidance at our COVID-19 Information Hub.

All New Jerseyans can pre-register for vaccines at this time. Visit covid19.nj.gov/vaccine to pre-register, see if you are eligible for the vaccine, and find a vaccination site near you.

Visit New Jersey’s COVID-19 Dashboard: New Jersey’s COVID-19 Dashboard has been updated with detailed data about vaccination in the Garden State. Learn how many vaccines have been administered, where, and to whom. The dashboard also includes valuable information about COVID-19 cases, outbreaks in schools and long-term care centers, hospitalizations, and contact tracing. Learn more.

Pre COVID-19 vaccination registration with the New Jersey Department of Health - please visit the website this for more information:  https://beta.nj.gov/vss/
Vaccine Prioritization and Allocation:

New Jersey intends to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) framework and overarching definition for the broad outline of Phase 1A, Phase 1B, and Phase 1C.

• Phase 1A includes healthcare personnel, who are defined by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and published by CDC as guidance in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report as “Paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials.”
• Phase 1A also includes residents of long-term care settings, who are defined by the ACIP as “adults who reside in facilities that provide a range of services, including medical and personal care, to persons who are unable to live independently.”
• Phase 1B includes essential workers. This will be defined in early 2021.  Individuals 75 years and older are also included.
• Phase 1C includes adults 65+ and adults with high-risk medical conditions who possess risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness. This will be defined in early 2021. It will be informed by COVID-19 cases and outcomes data and recommendations of the NJDOH COVID-19 Professional Advisory Committee. Within those initial Phases, sub-population prioritization is anticipated given expectation of scarce vaccine availability at the onset and potential for supply shortages before vaccine manufacturing and distribution reaches scale. Further detail on the process is provided in Sections 4C (sub-group prioritization) and 7A (allocation).

Click here for more information.

New COVID-19 Travel Guidelines:

Governor Phil Murphy and the New Jersey Department of Health issued new COVID-19 travel guidance as of 4-5-2021. The restrictions follow updated travel recommendations released by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) earlier this month.

Given the increased risk of spreading COVID-19 for both residents who travel outside the state and for visitors into the state, New Jersey continues to strongly discourage unvaccinated individuals from engaging in non-essential interstate travel at this time. CDC recommends travel be deferred until individuals are fully vaccinated. An individual is considered fully vaccinated two weeks or more after receipt of the second dose in a two-dose series or two weeks or more after receipt of a single-dose vaccine. 

People who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine and persons who clinically recovered from COVID-19 in the past three months who are traveling domestically within the United States do not need to be tested for COVID-19 before or after travel to New Jersey and do not need to self-quarantine upon return. The CDC still recommends that fully vaccinated persons arriving in the United States from abroad be tested for COVID-19 three to five days after return. 

Unvaccinated travelers and residents returning from any U.S. state or territory beyond the immediate region (New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware) should self-quarantine at their home, hotel, or other temporary lodging following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for unvaccinated people.

Summary of Travel Recommendations

As of May 17, 2021, New Jersey's travel advisory is no longer in effect.

New Jersey residents returning home and travelers visiting New Jersey do not need to quarantine, but should follow travel guidance from the CDC, the NJ Department of Health, and all local health and safety protocols of their travel destination.

At this time, the CDC recommends delaying travel until you are fully vaccinated. The CDC currently also recommends that unvaccinated individuals get tested 1-3 days before their trip, 3-5 days after travel, and stay home and self-quarantine for 7 days after travel. For more information, refer to the CDC's guidance for domestic travel.

International Travel

The CDC requires all air passengers arriving in the United States from a foreign country to get tested for COVID-19 no more than 3 days before their flight departs and to present the negative result or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 to the airline before boarding the flight.

For more information, visit the CDC website.

In addition, with specific exceptions, foreign nationals who have been in any of the following countries during the past 14 days may NOT enter the United States: India, China, Iran, countries in the European Schengen Area, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Brazil, and South Africa. For more details and a full list of exceptions, refer to the CDC's update on travelers prohibited from entry.

Testing

COVID-19 testing is available to everyone in New Jersey. You don't need insurance and free testing is available.

The Department of Health’s updated travel guidance can be viewed at the following link: Current Restrictions on Travel

General information about COVID vaccines:

EUA Fact Sheet for COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients and Caregivers [Pfizer/BioNTech] [Moderna]

COVID-19 Vaccine Plan at a Glance [English] [Spanish] [Arabic] [Chinese-Simplified] [Creole] [Gujarati] [Hindi] [Korean] [Polish] [Portuguese] [Tagalog]

COVID-19 Vaccine Priority Groups [English] [Spanish] [Arabic] [Chinese-Simplified] [Creole] [Gujarati] [Hindi] [Korean] [Polish] [Portuguese] [Tagalog]

COVID-19 Vaccines: Know the Facts [English]

What is a POD? [English] [Spanish] [Arabic] [Chinese-Simplified] [Creole] [Gujarati] [Hindi] [Korean] [Polish] [Portuguese] [Tagalog]

Keeping Track of COVID-19 Vaccine through NJIIS

• 8 Things to Know about Vaccine Planning
• How CDC is Making COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
• Ensuring the Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States
• Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Vaccination
• Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine
• Understanding How COVID-19 Vaccines Work
• Myths and Misconceptions about COVID-19 Vaccination
• Different COVID-19 Vaccines
• Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines

To access the New Jersey COVID-19 Information Site, please click on this link.    
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about COVID-19
More information: Coronavirus Facts; What You Need to Know About Coronavirus; Stop the Spread of Germs; Wash Your Hands                       

Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 196, which lowers indoor and outdoor gathering limits.

Effective Monday, November 23 at 6:00 a.m. the outdoor gathering limit will decrease from 500 people to 150 people. Weddings, funerals, memorial services, and religious and political activities are not subject to the outdoor gatherings limit. All other types of gatherings, such as a high school football game or an outdoor concert, will be limited to 150 individuals. Athletes, coaches, referees and other individuals necessary for a professional or collegiate sports competition are not counted towards the 150 person limit. Outdoor gatherings continue to be subject to strict social distancing restrictions, including the requirement to wear masks whenever it is not possible to social distance.

Mental Health Resources:

  COVID-19 & Mental Health Information click here.

Testing Information:

 Drive-Thru Testing Information for Bergen County Residents click here

Updates, Restrictions & Resources:

  Emergency Food Provider List by Town  Click here

  Emergency Rental Assistance Program for temporary assistance to selected low and moderate income households click here

  Travel Advisory Update click here

  Resuming Business Toolkit click here

  Information on the NJ Small Business Emergency Assistance Grant Program click here.

    Newsletter - Update Issue:  8-19-20