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All store shoppers and store employees in New Jersey must wear face coverings to help fight the coronavirus, amid new restrictions signed by the state's governor Phil Murphy.

This applies to all grocery stores and other essential retailers which are still open. The announcement came during the governor's daily press conference which was held in Trenton earlier Wednesday afternoon.

Wearing cloth coverings of masks when in public can help prevent asymptomatic carriers from spreading the coronavirus to others, the CDC announced on Friday. Their updated guidelines called for Americans to use cloth masks (or whatever is available) to help prevent the spread. N95 masks should be left available for healthcare workers.

Additionally, the state is mandating that all retailers indefinitely limit the number of customers in their stores to 50% of their approved capacity. This is a measure that many local retailers have already been taking as lines have been forming outside of stores across the state before shoppers are let in to maintain proper social distancing.

“We are not running out of food or other items. Period,” Murphy said on Wednesday. “We are taking this step to protect both customers and workers.”

They've also asked stores to create "physical barriers" wherever possible to separate shoppers from store employees (ie. glass protections between the cashiers and shoppers).

These rules are in effect statewide, but governor Murphy emphasized that this is not related to any supply issues.

“We are not running out of food or other items. Period. We are taking this step to protect both customers and workers," he said.

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