NJ governor reinstates public health emergency, activating presumption
Posted On: Jan. 13, 2022 8:52 AM CST
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy reinstated a public health emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that will activate a workers compensation presumption under a bill the governor signed in 2020.
Mr. Murphy on Wednesday cited the rapidly spreading omicron variant in issuing Executive Order No. 280, which reinstated the state of emergency the governor terminated in June 2021.
“While we hope to return to a state of normalcy as soon as possible, the step I am taking today is a commonsense measure that will protect the safety and well-being of all New Jersey residents while allowing the state government to respond to the continuing threat that COVID-19 poses to our daily lives,” the governor said in a statement.
Among other things, the emergency declaration activates a provision in S.B. 2380, the 2020 measure that created a presumption that COVID-19 is compensable for first responders, health care workers and others who have contact with the public.
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