#Phil Murphy to announce vax mandate for all NJ teachers

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to announce that all teachers in New Jersey must be vaccinated for COVID-19 this school year, law officials have confirmed to local media.

The announcement is expected in the next few days, likely when the governor returns from his family vacation in Italy — a retreat that has garnered fierce criticism from his opponents.

Details of the plan — such as whether or not teachers can choose instead to be tested for the virus weekly — have not yet been made available, according to NJ Advance Media, who first reported the likely mandate.

The Gov.’s intentions to mandate vaccinations for teachers was also confirmed by New Jersey State Senator Joseph Vitale, chairman of the state’s Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee to the Asbury Park Press.

“NJEA strongly supports and has publicly promoted vaccination for all eligible individuals. We ran ads last spring featuring our members talking about the importance of vaccination. Vaccination is the best tool we have to better protect our schools and communities,” NJEA spokesman Steven Baker said in a statement to The Post.

“New Jersey does not yet have a vaccine or testing requirement for school employees. We believe that a ‘vaccine or testing’ requirement like we saw in Gov. Murphy’s EO covering healthcare workers is appropriate and responsible. If the Governor’s executive order requiring vaccination or regular testing in certain other sectors is extended to schools, we will work to ensure that it is implemented in a way that protects the health and welfare of everyone involved. In any case, we will continue to encourage and promote vaccination for school employees and all eligible New Jersey residents.”

New Jersey would become the third state in the country to enact a vaccination mandate for its teachings, following California and Washington.

California has given teachers who do not wish to be vaccinated the option of weekly testing, however in Washington teachers and staff at all levels will face termination if they are not vaccinated by Oct. 18 with no alternative options.

“We cannot continue to gamble with the health of our children, our educators, our school staff, parents or the public,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said.