On March 24, 2020, New Jersey’s Director of Emergency Management, Colonel Patrick Callahan, issued Administrative Order 2020-5, expanding the list of “essential retail businesses” permitted to operate during according to their normal business hours under Governor’s Murphy’s Executive Order 107.
Effective immediately, the following were added to the categories of “essential retail businesses” listed in Executive Order 107:
- Mobile phone retail and repair shops;
- Bicycle shops, but only to provide service and repair;
- Livestock feed stores;
- Nurseries and garden centers;
- Farming equipment stores.
Essential retail businesses that remain operational must comply with the social distancing requirements of Executive Order 107.
The Administrative Order also clarifies that municipalities may impose additional restrictions on beaches and boardwalks.
Employers and employees of essential retail businesses that reduce staff, close or remain closed, need to consider the eligibility requirements for paid and unpaid leave under the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act and New Jersey’s Earned Sick Leave Law.
More information concerning the operation of essential businesses during the Coronavirus emergency is available on the state’s here.