SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New state contractors must now be vaccinated against COVID-19 or provide proof of a negative test if they want to work in New Jersey. Gov. Phil Murphy signed the executive order Wednesday night.
Effective immediately, any third-party employee working at a state agency or in a state building must now be vaccinated or get tested weekly.
Murphy says this will bring contractors in line with the rules for all direct state employees to ensure everyone who is providing services in New Jersey are held to the same health and safety standards.
This rule applies only to new contracts and contracts that are renewed. Existing contracts cannot be altered to include the vaccination or test provision because those have already been signed. It is not clear how many people the executive order affects immediately, but that number will grow over time as more agreements are signed.
Unvaccinated employees must undergo at minimum one to two tests weekly, with the results reported to local health officials. The testing requirement would apply only during the weeks when a contracted employee is working on-site.
