NJ COVID-19 Updates and More

Early voting opens on Saturday, October 29th and runs through Sunday, November 6th. Hours will be Monday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary.

The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is November 1st. Election Day is November 8th. Polls will open at 6:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.

More options and lower premiums are available for residents seeking health insurance coverage at Get Covered New Jersey, the official health insurance marketplace of New Jersey.

New federal funding means that no one will pay more than 8.5% of their income for health insurance through Get Covered New Jersey. About 9 in 10 residents who enroll through Get Covered New Jersey will qualify for financial assistance with health coverage premiums.

The Open Enrollment Period for 2023 coverage at Get Covered New Jersey will run from November 1st, 2022 to January 31st, 2023. Consumers must enroll by December 31st, 2022 for coverage starting January 1st, 2023; if they enroll by January 31st, 2023, coverage will begin February 1st, 2023.

More than three million residents are eligible for up to $1,500 in property tax relief through the ANCHOR program.

Call wait times could be lengthy right now. To get your application in faster, go to the ANCHOR website.

To be eligible for this year's benefit, you must have occupied your primary residence on October 1st, 2019. You must also file (or be exempt from) NJ income taxes. The deadline for filing is December 30th, 2022.

New Jersey households with incomes of $80,000 or less are eligible for gross income tax credits of up to $500 per child under a newly amended child tax credit law.

The credits will be available in 2023 when filing taxes for 2022.

Individuals aged 5 and older are encouraged to get a COVID-19 bivalent booster dose, which should be received two months after their most recent booster or primary vaccination series. If a person is at least 6 years old, they can get either a Pfizer or Moderna booster, regardless of which vaccine they received for their primary series.

These updated COVID-19 boosters offer stronger protections against severe illness and death from Omicron sub-variants. The Pfizer booster is recommended for all individuals aged 5 and older, while the Moderna booster is recommended for those aged 6 and older.

Find vaccine locations with the COVID-19 Vaccine Finder or the Community Calendar. 

New Jersey will return to Eastern Standard Time at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 6th, 2022. Daylight Savings Time will return on Sunday, March 12th, 2023.

Residents are reminded to drive carefully as daylight hours shorten and the risk of deer collisions increases.

White-tailed deer are involved in thousands of motor vehicle collisions every year. Most of those collisions occur during peak deer mating season, which in New Jersey runs from late October through mid-December. Many car commuters drive at times of day when deer are most active, and when lighting conditions may make driving more difficult.

Residents are asked to be alert and watch for black bears as the bears forage for food ahead of their winter den season. Though most of New Jersey's black bears live in the northwest portion of the state, black bears have been sighted in all 21 counties.

Please take steps to secure trash cans and other potential sources of food. Bears that find food in residential neighborhoods may learn to associate people with food. These bears may then become nuisances that cause property damage, seek handouts from people, or become dangerous. Intentionally feeding bears is illegal in New Jersey and carries a fine of up to $1,000. 

Report black bear damage or aggressive bears to your local police department or to Fish & Wildlife by calling 1-877-927-6337. Find more safety tips and information at the Department of Fish and Wildlife.