The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued new guidance relating to recommended precautions for people who are fully vaccinated, which is applicable to activities outside of healthcare and a few other environments. OSHA is reviewing the recent CDC guidance and will update accordingly. Until those updates are complete, employers may refer to the CDC guidance for information on measures appropriate to protect fully vaccinated workers.
However, for New Jersey employers, Executive Order 192 remains in effect. No distinction is made between fully vaccinated and non-vaccinated employees. Under the Order, employers may permit employees to remove face masks only when the employees are situated at their workstations and are more than six feet from other individuals at the workplace, or when an individual is alone in a walled office. Employers must make available, at their expense, such face masks to their employees.
While employees who have been fully vaccinated and are eager to resume a more normal work-life may be unhappy with mask wearing and distancing, separating fully vaccinated from non-vaccinated employees presents its own challenges.