TRENTON – Following Governor Phil Murphy’s Executive Order announcing a State of Emergency that authorizes all state Departments and Agencies to enact measures to respond to the spread of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, the New Jersey Civil Service Commission issued the following Guidelines and FAQs to protect State employees from the spread of COVID-19.

“The health and safety of our employees is our number one concern,” said Governor Murphy. “The guidelines we are issuing today, following the declaration of a state of emergency in New Jersey, are designed to limit the exposure of state employees to COVID-19 and to protect the general public. These guidelines will allow our state workforce to continue carrying out the day to day business of running our state, while providing necessary public health accommodations.”

“The best interest of our employees is always our top priority.” said Chair/CEO of the Civil Service Commission, Deirdre Webster Cobb Esq., “We take the severity of this virus seriously and will work with our departments and agencies to ensure the health and well-being of our employees while ensuring the continued operations of the state and delivery of much needed services.”

Guidelines:
• Permit individuals who are diagnosed with COVID-19 to stay home without using accumulated sick leave;
• Permit individuals who have been exposed to the virus, and are thus either required to self-quarantine or recommended to stay home, to do so without using accumulated sick leave;
• Permit individuals to stay home without using allocated sick leave in the event of the closing of their child’s school or child care center;
• Permit State agencies to implement work from home policies and flexible scheduling and temporarily re-designate employee assignments/responsibilities as needed.
• The FAQs are intended to assist State employers and employees with answering questions related to the new leave guidelines.

For full FAQ’s, please click here. For full guidelines, please click here.

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For more information about the New Jersey Civil Service Commission, please visit: www.nj.gov/csc.