New Jersey healthcare facilities (hospitals, etc.) are now following the same COVID-19 masking guidance as private practices.
You may have seen in the news that New Jersey no longer has a statewide universal directive requiring that people in all health care facilities wear masks to fight COVID-19. This means that healthcare facilities (hospitals, etc.) are now following the same guidance as private practices.
The guidance states that healthcare practitioners should regularly check the COVID-19 transmission levels for their county published by the CDC (updated weekly) and adjust prevention policies accordingly. Currently all NJ counties are rated LOW (as of 5/3/23) which means masks are not required for patients in waiting areas and pre-screening is not required.
Individual practices may adopt more stringent masking policies for the public and their staff if they desire.