NJ Issues New Rules For Indoor Retail, Shopping Amid Coronavirus

Tom Davis
Updated ·1 min read

NEW JERSEY – Shopping in New Jersey will have a very different look and feel once it's finally allowed to resume indoors amid the coronavirus outbreak on June 15th.

New Jersey issued rules and guidance for indoor in-person retail on Thursday now that Gov. Phil Murphy said it can resume operations in 11 days.

One of the big changes is that stores much limit customers to 50 percent of their shop's capacity, and customers and employees have to wear face coverings.

The rules are similar to what Murphy outlined for outdoor dining, which is also set to resume on June 15th. Read more: Here's What To Do At NJ Bars, Restaurants Under Coronavirus Rules

Here are the other new rules:

  • Stores must regularly sanitize areas used by employees

  • Stores must set special shopping hours for high-risk individuals wherever and whenever possible

  • Stores must erect physical barriers between customers and baggers

  • Stores in malls cannot reopen unless they have an outside entrance

Murphy acknowledged that may it seem odd for to wear a face covering in a favorite local shop "with a store owner who may be our neighbor and friend.

"We have to remind ourselves that this virus remains among us," he said.

Murphy said the rules "amplifies the means for welcoming customers into their shops" but they're intended to "to prevent overcrowding and allow for social distancing."

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This article originally appeared on the Mendham-Chester Patch