The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) has updated quarantine recommendations for school settings and for the general public even as cases continue to surge in the state and in its schools. The revision on Dec. 16 allows for shortened time frames to end quarantine after day seven with a negative COVID-19 test result collected between five and seven days of quarantine—or after day 10 if testing has not been performed. Additionally, the updated recommendations discontinue the use of regional transmission risk levels to determine quarantine timeframes. The revised recommendations align with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. North-JerseyNews.com
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said he would oppose his party’s roughly $2 trillion Build Back Better Act, likely dooming the centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda as currently written. “This is a ‘no’ on this legislation…I have tried everything,” Sen. Manchin said on Dec. 19, reiterating many of the concerns he has expressed about the bill, including its possible effect on inflation and how the cost was calculated. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement that the Senator’s comments were inconsistent with his recent negotiations with President Biden, including an outline of provisions he could support in the legislation amounting to roughly $1.75 trillion in spending that would be the basis of future negotiations. The Wall Street Journal
Rep. Albio Sires (D-8) will reportedly not seek re-election in 2022 and Robert J. Menendez, the son the U.S. Senator, has emerged as the frontrunner to succeed him. The 70-year-old Sires has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2006, when he won a special election after Bob Menendez was elected to the Senate. Sires and Menendez are the only Hispanics to represent New Jersey in Congress. A formal announcement from Sires is expected before the end of the year. New Jersey Globe
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s top medical adviser, said that the COVID-19 omicron variant is “just raging around the world” and President Joe Biden is planning to give “a stark warning of what the Winter will look like” for unvaccinated Americans. DR. Fauci said the President would again urge people to get the booster shot, highlight increased availability of testing, discuss “surge teams” for besieged hospitals and explain how important it is to provide vaccines for the rest of the world and that “the real problem” for the U.S. hospital system is that “we have so many people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who have not yet been vaccinated.” NJ.com
Gov. Phil Murphy says right now, there’s no need to make drastic changes such as locking down the state again. “You have to leave it on the table, but I don’t see it,” said Murphy during a Fox News Sunday interview. “Among other reasons we have a very high degree of vaccinations. Folks are getting boosted which clearly gives another layer of protection against this.” The governor later added just like everyone else, he too has COVID fatigue. News12 New Jersey
New Jersey on Dec. 19 reported six confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 6,533 confirmed cases as statewide coronavirus hospitalizations reached their highest number in nearly eight months. There were 1,852 patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases across New Jersey’s 71 hospitals as of Saturday night. That’s 57 more than the night before, despite 259 patients being discharged in the same 24-hour span—the highest number of patients since April 23. The statewide positivity rate for tests administered Wednesday, the most recent day available, was 11.58%. NJ.com
Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-26) has notified the state attorney general’s office he will not “submit to a Covid-19 test nor will he provide proof of vaccination” to enter the statehouse complex when the Assembly meets on Dec. 20. Webber has put the state on notice that he’s prepared to ask a judge to restrain state officials, including acting Attorney General Andrew Bruck, acting State Police Superintendent Patrick Callahan, or Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin from blocking Webber’s access to the Assembly chamber, according to a letter to Bruck on Dec. 17 from Webber’s attorney Mark Sheridan. New Jersey Globe
A booster shot of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine significantly raises the level of antibodies that can thwart the Omicron variant, according to the company. Moderna’s results show that the currently authorized booster dose of 50 micrograms—half the dose given for primary immunization—increased the level of antibodies by roughly 37-fold, while a full dose of 100 micrograms raised antibody levels about 83-fold compared with pre-boost levels. The New York Times
Sen. Cory Booker has tested positive for COVID-19 after he first had symptoms of the virus on Dec. 18. “Fortunately, my symptoms are relatively mild,” Booker said in a press statement. “I’m beyond grateful to have received two doses of vaccine and, more recently, a booster. I’m certain that without them I would be doing much worse. I encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated and boosted.” NJ1015.com
A subtle change recently enacted by federal infrastructure law will make it easier for New Jersey to cover its share of the funding for the Gateway Tunnel project. Among many new policy wrinkles written into the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is one allowing federal infrastructure loans in some cases can now be paid back over a term of up to 75 years, up from the prior cap of 35 years. NJ Spotlight News
Ships leaving China can get to the Port of New York and New Jersey 25% faster than they can reach a port on the West Coast, due to a backlog of ships and processing, according to Gov. Phil Murphy. The Democratic lawmaker recently promoted New Jersey’s ports as being busier and more appealing to the international logistics and freight industry than ever before through the state’s partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, organized labor partners at the port, and private-sector partners including terminal operators. ROI-NJ
The Department of Corrections announced Dec. 14 it has hired Steve Carter, a correctional planning and design consultant with CGL Services, to assist with relocating the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility. In June, Gov. Phil Murphy announced plans to close the Clinton facility following reports of rapes, attacks, and other alleged inmate abuse. The contract announcement comes as the state’s Attorney General announced a new set of arrests for an investigation into an attack earlier this year. At least 30 staff members were suspended at the prison and 15 officers have been criminally charged over inmate beatings or aiding in a coverup. North-JerseyNews.com
State lawmakers are considering a bipartisan bill that would alter a 10-year-old law to exempt public school teachers and other school employees to live in New Jersey for at least the next three years. That would make it easier for teachers who live in neighboring states like New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware to teach here to help fill staffing shortages at schools that have gotten worse during the coronavirus pandemic. New Jersey Monitor
A motion to adopt an ordinance allowing retail cannabis sales at a Route 17 north location in Mahwah was tabled until next year by the Township Council. The proposed law, which drew objections from 20 of 24 residents and its police chief at a public hearing, would allow retail sales a half-mile from Ridge Road on the west or southbound side of the highway. Four of the township’s six schools are on Ridge Road, starting with the high school a half-mile drive from the site. The Record
Jersey City Councilwoman-at-Large Joyce Watterman is expected to continue serving as the city council president for another two years with a majority support from her colleagues. Ward E Councilman James Solomon, Ward A Councilwoman Denise Ridley, Ward B Councilwoman Mira Prinz Arey, Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh and DeGise all they plan to vote for Watterman as the head of the council. Aside from Watterman’s effectiveness, none of her colleagues expressed interest in the position. The Jersey Journal
Bayonne City Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski wants to end the practice of resolutions and ordinances put up for vote without public notice that has become a frequent practice in the city in recent years. Nadrowski unsuccessfully attempted to close the Dec. 15 meeting before items could be added for votes because she believes the public deserves notice on what its legislators will vote on but could not secure enough votes to do so. Hudson Reporter
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