NJ Gov. Phil Murphy Calls Face Masks A 'Non-Debatable, National Requirement'

The wearing of masks should be a “national requirement,” if New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy were to choose.

In an interview over NBC TV’s “Meet the Press” Sunday (July 05), NJ Gov. Murphy said that wearing of face masks should be a national requirement amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The governor stated a nationwide policy about putting on face coverings is not debatable anymore.

While he admitted the virus is more lethal indoors compared to outdoors, it is still important to wear a mask when leaving the house. “I think it ought to be a national, a national requirement,” he told the TV show’s moderator, Andrea Mitchell.

According to reports, many states across the country have already imposed a mandatory face-covering policy for those who wish to venture out in public, particularly in places where social distancing is not possible. Stores in those states, including New Jersey, require customers to wear masks and to observe six feet distance between other patrons.

Murphy said they did encounter some difficulties early on but they have to ask people in New Jersey to be responsible and to do the right thing. They have also started asking those coming home from a vacation to self-quarantine.

Face Mask Policy

As if to emphasize the importance of wearing masks, some states that did not require people to wear face coverings indoors have seen a spike in coronavirus cases in their locality. This includes the state of Texas where health officials saw new cases of COVID-19 surge to 7,915 in just one day.

This prompted Gov. Greg Abbott to issue a statewide order requiring residents in all counties within the Lone Star state with 20 or more coronavirus cases to wear masks whenever they are in public. The governor said that the virus was rapidly spreading and that there was very little margin for error. In North Carolina, on the other hand, the mandatory mask policy covers only those above 11 years old.

Concern Over Surges

In the case of New York City, Mayor De Blasio has decided to put on hold some of their reopening plans, including indoor dining, as a precautionary measure, after other states reported a surge in COVID-19 cases. Similarly, New Jersey has also placed its indoor dining plans on hold.

Murphy said his state has already "gone through hell" and they cannot afford to go through that again. He revealed NJ paid an enormous price in terms of loss of lives and a shattered economy. Murphy added that state health officials are beginning to see reinfection spikes from folks coming back from other places like Florida and Myrtle Beach. “We need a national strategy now, and masking has to be the core of that,” he told NBC.