Washington Free Beacon By Josh ChristensonÂ
Phil Murphy joins other Democratic officials who want to end politically fraught mandates
New Jersey Democratic governor Phil Murphy is ending his state’s school mask mandates, signaling that some Democratic officials are ready to move away from politically fraught coronavirus restrictions.
Murphy announced on Sunday he would scrap the mask mandates on Monday afternoon, though the policy won’t take effect until March, the New York Times first reported. As vice chairman of the National Governors Association, his decision will likely influence other state governors. Some have already made the move. Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf (D.) ended his state’s school mask mandate in January, even as coronavirus case counts have remained high amid the Omicron variant. Following a meeting with President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Murphy suggested it was time for a change.
