Most New Jersey schools will open this week with no requirement that teachers or students be tested for coronavirus or show proof of vaccination.
Gov. Phil Murphy’s vaccine mandate for school staff has a deadline of October 18, allowing unvaccinated adults to delay for more than a month if they choose to get a one-dose shot, and the testing won’t start until then either.
But Hoboken is going much further, mandating that not only staff, but all students ages 12 and older either show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test result by the first day of school on Thursday.
The mayor, Ravi Bhalla, spoke to editorial board member Julie O’Connor about why. Below is the transcript, condensed and edited for clarity.
Q. What made Hoboken decide to go further than Gov. Murphy’s mandate?
A. I would pose a question of, why not? Why wouldn’t we, in the middle of a public health crisis, make sure that we take all appropriate, reasonable measures to make sure that our children can learn in a healthy, safe environment?
We’ve done that at a city level, mandating all city employees be vaccinated, or if they can’t be vaccinated, provide a negative test on a weekly basis. That’s increased the number of employees who have taken the vaccine, so it’s demonstrably incentivized people to get vaccinated. It’s created a healthier environment not just for employees, but for workers who interact with the public every day, so I just think it makes the city safer as a whole.
The students who are eligible to get vaccinated should get vaccinated, and if they choose not to, they should be subjected to randomized testing on a weekly basis, to act as a layer of protection to all students.
Q. What kind of feedback are you getting?
A. We’re getting largely positive feedback. Hoboken is very diverse in every way, including people never being afraid to express their opinion. Naturally, on any policy, you’re not going to get 100 percent buy-in. But the vast majority of parents are cooperating with the policy that our superintendent, Dr. Johnson and the board of education thoughtfully planned out, and I do applaud them for taking that leadership role and raising the bar here in Hoboken. We’ve gotten a largely positive reaction.
Q. Why do you think the governor is not pressing for this type of restriction? What about other mayors?
A. I can’t speak to the governor and his approach. I do applaud him for being a responsible statewide figure. When you’re governing a city it’s a much different conversation in terms of the thought process that when you’re responsible for an entire state. I just commend the governor for giving local leaders like me the ability to enact measures that are suitable and that we tailor towards our individual communities.
We haven’t heard anything necessarily from other mayors. That’s not to say that’s not in the pipeline.
Q. What does it say about American culture that we’re seeing such reluctance to impose the vaccine mandate? Is this the downside of individualism?
A. Yeah. People talk about liberty and freedom, and I always say, you’ve got all the liberty to swing your fist, but that freedom ends at the tip of my nose. I just think the same thing applies, especially if you’re in a position of having a duty to serve and protect the public. I would argue that you have a heightened duty to make sure that you’re protecting the public and not doing them harm when you’re interacting with them. That’s why it’s so important for public safety to be vaccinated, because we don’t want them to be in situations answering calls where they could potentially do harm to the public.
We live in America, we cherish our ability to make choices. But I would argue that there’s an obligation of government that is paramount, to take measures to protect public health and life. And when individual action is interfering with that objective, I think it’s incumbent upon the government to take appropriate measures.
Q. Hoboken is also requiring random testing on a weekly basis for the students too young to be vaccinated.
A. The number of tests is going to be correlated to the state’s positivity rate. So, on a Wednesday, a student will be notified that they need to produce a negative test by the following Monday, which gives them from Wednesday through Sunday to get a test, which can either be a nasal swab test or a saliva test.
Q. Gov. Murphy’s deadline is Oct. 18 for school staff statewide to get vaccinated, and the testing doesn’t have to start until then either. That’s a while after school starts. What do you think of that?
A. I can’t speak for the governor, so I don’t know what the reasoning is there.
Q. Your superintendent, Dr. Christine Johnson, says Hoboken has had more experience with testing than other districts, because it mass-tested students and many teachers last year after long weekends, holidays and teachers conventions. The district kept schools open in person and was commended by the governor for that.
A. Yeah, the superintendent made a courageous decision that we’re going to go all in, and the schools are going to be open all year. There were days of remote learning while students were getting tested. But we’re one of the few districts in the state that went ahead and decided to stay in school the entire time rather than choose remote learning or a hybrid.
Q. What was the outcome?
A. We didn’t have any greater outcomes of infections that any other community. Definitely, in Hudson County, we were on the lower side with respect to positive cases. My advice to other districts is to err on the side of caution. I know it’s inconvenient to wear a mask and nothing’s guaranteed in life. But the science is the science. And the science is very well established that vaccines safe lives, period. From my standpoint, it’s very hard to argue with that.
Q. Anyone in Hoboken schools who tests positive will have to stay home until they produce a negative test, or for 10 days. Anyone in close contact with them must stay home for eight days and produce a negative test. What are your thoughts on this testing option, in general? New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the governor of Washington state are not going to offer any testing to staffers and are just requiring them to be vaccinated.
A. My response to that is, it’s on our radar. The fact that it’s being done in other jurisdictions and the fact that the FDA just gave full authorization to the Pfizer vaccine, those are things we’re taking into further consideration as our policies evolve.
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