Gottheimer asks Gov. Murphy to take critical steps to protect NJ from omicron and combat impacts on communities, hospitals, families, students
NEW JERSEY — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) is asking Governor Phil Murphy to take critical steps to help the state combat the current COVID-19 Omicron surge and its impacts on hospital staffing, families, students, and communities.
Gottheimer is asking Governor Murphy to:
- Mitigate hospital staffing shortages by allowing recently retired health care professionals to have their licenses temporarily reactivated and by permitting certain providers to assist, where most needed, outside their ordinary scope of practice;
- Further utilize the New Jersey National Guard to expand COVID-19 testing capacity in our hardest-hit communities; and
- Continue vital efforts to keep schools safely open for in-person education.
Gottheimer visited the Holy Name Medical Center COVID-19 testing site in Teaneck on Saturday to stress the importance of getting tested, to raise awareness of testing options across the Fifth District, and to thank frontline health care workers for their hard work. Gottheimer was joined by Teaneck Mayor James Dunleavy, Nancy Palamara, Pharm.D, Vice President, Diagnostics and Therapeutics from Holy Name Medical Center, and Edward Torres, Administrative Director, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine from Holy Name Medical Center
“In the weeks since November 30, when public health officials first identified the Omicron variant as a ‘Variant of Concern,’ Americans have experienced the new variant’s rapid spread and ability to evade vaccination. […] Following my discussions with Fifth District constituents and public health leaders across North Jersey, I believe there are several additional steps your Administration can take to ease the impact of the Omicron variant,” Congressman Josh Gottheimer wrote in a letter to Governor Phil Murphy this week. “By taking the additional steps outlined here, we can lessen the impact of the Omicron variant and minimize the disruptions it will cause in the coming weeks.”
