June 8, 2020
Governor Murphy announced that New jersey will move to Stage Two of the state’s reopening. It will include outdoor dining for restaurants and indoor, non-essential retail as of June 15th. Beginning on June 22nd, barber shops and salons will be able to reopen. In the period to follow, New Jersey will work toward the gradual opening of personal care, gyms, and health clubs, at reduced capacities as the stage progresses. All of these activities will be allowed pursuant to strict health and safety guidelines that will be issued in the coming days.
Outdoor Dining Protocols and Process to Expand Premises for Liquor License Holders,
“Restaurants and bars throughout New Jersey have been immensely cooperative with necessary public health measures that were placed upon them while battling the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Governor Murphy. “Allowing outdoor dining and the expansion of alcohol-serving areas will allow restaurants and bars to begin welcoming customers back while continuing to comply with necessary social distancing guidance.”
Executive Order No. 150 allows outdoor dining at food or beverage establishments in New Jersey starting on Monday, June 15th. Establishments will be required to follow a number of COVID-19 health and safety protocols issued by the Department of Health, including a limit of eight customers per table, and requirements of at least six feet of distance between parties. In addition, for as long as indoor dining is not permitted, food or beverage establishments are required to prohibit smoking in any outdoor areas designated for the consumption of food and/or beverages.
The Order further notes that municipalities are permitted to use their existing authority to allow food or beverage establishments to expand their footprint to outdoor areas, both within their property and among municipally-governed areas, including but not limited to sidewalks, streets, or parks.
Additionally, a special ruling by the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) will temporarily permit establishments with liquor licenses to expand their licensed premises into outdoor areas that are either contiguous or non-contiguous to their permanently licensed premises. Establishments may apply through the POSSE ABC Online Licensing system, and if approved will be issued a temporary permit effective on June 15th that will run until November 14, 2020. ABC will not take action on any application until it receives an endorsement or approval by the appropriate governing body officials, and it is the responsibility of the licensee to comply with local ordinances and site plan requirements.
Extension of the Public Health Emergency
Governor Murphy also signed
Executive Order No. 151
on June 4 extending the Public Health Emergency for another 30 days
“As we move forward with our restart and recovery plan, maintaining access to all resources available is essential,” said Governor Murphy. “Extending the Public Health Emergency allows us to continue to work to save lives, while safely and securely reopening our state’s economy.”
MVC Announces Plans to Reopen in Stages
The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission announced its plan to
reopen in stages
. In order to limit crowds and speed services during the phased reopening, some agencies have been designated as Licensing Centers and some as Vehicle Centers.
Lists of Licensing Centers and Vehicle Centers
, as well as information on transactions, will be posted soon at NJMVC.gov.
Drop-off and pick-up transactions will be processed starting June 15, but only the following:
- At designated Licensing Centers, MVC will be processing and validating permits from driving schools and high schools on a drop-off basis.
- At designated Vehicle Centers, MVC will be processing registration and title work from dealers. License plates can also be surrendered by drop-off at these agencies in a designated area.
- MVC will also be processing registration/title transfers for private sales by a new combination online and mail-in procedure. Customers will be able to sign up for this option at NJMVC.gov.
Road tests and the issuing of new licenses and permits are tentatively expected to start on June 29 with some additional transactions like out-of-state transfers and private sales registrations, but still on a limited basis to prevent crowding.
The Commission has tripled road-testing capacity, adding 11 courses and reassigning over 100 Safety Specialists to serve as road test examiners for 30 to 60 days. This takes MVC from an average of 5,800 road tests per week to about 16,300. MVC expects the backlog to be cleared by the end of the 60 days.
Those whose road tests were canceled during the shut-down will be contacted by MVC and provided a secure link to get the first appointments.
At designated Licensing Centers starting June 29 (tentative), MVC will be processing new licenses and permits, out-of-state transfers, and REAL ID for those whose appointments were canceled.
At designated Vehicle Centers starting June 29 (tentative), MVC will be adding individual registration and title transactions.
Transactions that can be done online will not be available in person at this time. The Commission continues to urge customers to use
NJMVC.gov
to renew or replace licenses, renew or replace registrations, or change their address. Customers can also contact MVC by email for help with a suspension. More detail will be provided in the next few days.
Phased-in Business Activities
Phased-in businesses and activities, with adherence to safeguarding and modification guidelines, include:
- Outdoor dining (beginning on June 15th)
- Limited in-person retail (beginning on June 15th)
- Hair salons and barber shops (beginning on June 22nd)
- Youth summer programs (beginning on July 6th)
- In-person clinical research/labs
- Limited fitness/gyms
- Limited in-person government services (e.g. – Motor Vehicle Commission)
- Museums/libraries
- All workers who can work from home should continue to work from home.
Precautions that apply across all stages include:
- Clinically high-risk individuals who can stay at home should continue to do so.
- All residents and businesses should follow state and federal safeguarding guidelines:
- Wash hands
- Wear masks in public
- Respect social distancing
- Minimize gatherings
- Disinfect workplace and businesses
- Minimize gatherings
- No mass gatherings
New Jersey will move toward subsequent stages based on data that demonstrates improvements in public health and the capacity to safeguard the public, including:
Sustained improvements in public health indicators, including new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, individuals in intensive care, and ventilator use;
- Substantial increase in testing and contact tracing capacity.
- Sufficient resilience in New Jersey’s health care system to include adequate bed capacity, ventilators, personal protective equipment, and workforce.
- Widespread safeguarding of workplaces.
- Widespread safeguarding and capacity of childcare, schools, and mass transit.
- Continued public compliance.
If public health indicators, safeguarding, or compliance worsen on a sustained basis, New Jersey will be prepared to move back to more restrictive stages as well.
Feel free to contact any member of our team at (610) 828-1900 (PA) or (732) 341-3893 (NJ) with questions. You can contract Rich Higgins, CPA, managing principal - New Jersey Office at
Richard.Higgins@MCC-CPAs.com
and me at
Marty.McCarthy@MCC-CPAs.com
. As always, we are happy to help.
Stay safe,
Rich Higgins, CPA
Managing Principal - New Jersey Office
McCarthy & Company
Disclaimer: This alert is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Information contained in this communication is not intended or written to be used as tax advice, and cannot be used by the recipient to avoid penalties that may be imposed under the Internal Revenue Code. We strongly advise you to seek professional assistance with respect to your specific issue(s).
