PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey is raising the COVID-19 limits for outdoor gatherings and allowing large indoor arenas to seat more people.
Gov. Phil Murphy says, effective Friday, outdoor gathering limits will go from 50 people to 200 people. That doesn’t include outdoor religious or political gatherings or weddings, which remain uncapped.
Outdoor gatherings are safer, Murphy says.
“The reason we are increasing the outdoor limit is that, as the weather gets warmer, we are urging everyone to engage in social activities outside whenever possible.”
The governor says one effect of the change is that more fans will be able to watch high school sports.
“We want to push people outdoors, assuming they’re not getting rained on. We just are not in the position, where a lot of states in the South are right now, that can conduct a lot of their lives outside.”
The governor also is allowing large indoor venues to go from 10{066dbc63777e5ed549f406789d72fdeebd77a32711d57f7b38ff2b35c4ba2a42} to 20{066dbc63777e5ed549f406789d72fdeebd77a32711d57f7b38ff2b35c4ba2a42} of capacity, and he’s expanding the definition of “large” venues to include those with 2,500 seats — down from 5,000.
His executive order also allows banquet halls to operate at 35{066dbc63777e5ed549f406789d72fdeebd77a32711d57f7b38ff2b35c4ba2a42} of capacity for any event, up to 150 people.
Murphy said more than 4 million people have received vaccination shots so far, with nearly a million and a half people fully vaccinated.