SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey is ending its moratorium on utility shutoffs, effective July 1.
The state is establishing a grace period, though, that will prohibit disconnections through the end of the calendar year.
Gov. Phil Murphy established the moratorium last year to prevent utilities from cutting off service to residents who fell behind on their payments because of the coronavirus pandemic. At a coronavirus briefing in Trenton on Monday, Murphy said the state is establishing a grace period to give residents an opportunity to set up payment plans with their utilities.
“No one will face disconnection of their gas, electric or water services before the end of the grace period on Dec. 31, 2021,” he said. “Everyone deserves the opportunity to work with their utility provider on payment options that will ensure these vital and in some cases life-preserving services.”
The grace period also extends to internet services, if there are school-age children in the household.
Murphy said some families will actually be protected from utility shutoffs through next March because of the annual cold-weather moratorium.
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The governor also reported five new COVID-19 deaths and 138 more confirmed cases at his briefing. He repeated that nearly all of those infections are among people who have not been vaccinated.
“As we’ve been discussing, this is becoming, increasingly, by the day, a pandemic of unvaccinated individuals,” he said.
The state plans to soon begin to list data on rare breakthrough cases on its COVID-19 dashboard.
Murphy believes New Jersey will reach its goal of vaccinating 70% of the adult population by the end of this month. It’s currently at about 62%.