TRENTON — Masks in New Jersey's schools and daycares will continue to be required as a COVID-19 precaution despite a looming expiration, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday.

Murphy, a Democrat, announced the decision at a news conference, saying at least three times that the requirement brings him "no joy," and adding that it's necessary given the record number of cases and increasing hospitalizations.

The governor did not specify how much longer the mandate would be in place or say how he planned to continue it, whether by executive order or as part of a legislative deal with lawmakers.

“I don’t have a specific construct for you — but we're working very cooperatively with the legislative leadership to make sure that we’ve got a good path forward,” Murphy said when asked on Monday about how he planned to keep the mask requirement in place.

The Democrat-led Legislature was considering a bill Monday — the final day before the new legislative session starts on Tuesday — that would permit some expiring orders and waivers that expire on Tuesday to be continued for 45 days.

Murphy said he was in discussions with legislators but declined to go into detail.

The governor had initially requested a 90-day extension of the orders, but the final bill has halved the time. It's unclear whether the governor will support it if it comes to his desk.

The expiration date comes as part of a June law Murphy had signed aimed at ending public health emergency measures.

But Murphy, pointing to the omicron variant, requested lawmakers extend the deadline on New Year's Day.

(Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

Vaccinations for COVID-19 began being administered in the U.S. on Dec. 14, 2020. The quick rollout came a little more than a year after the virus was first identified in November 2019. The impressive speed with which vaccines were developed has also left a lot of people with a lot of questions. The questions range from the practical—how will I get vaccinated?—to the scientific—how do these vaccines even work?

Keep reading to discover answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions.

11 things that make a New Jersey diner a real diner

Every NJ pizza joint Barstool's Dave Portnoy has reviewed

Dave Portnoy, commonly known as El Presidente, is the founder of Barstool Sports. Somewhere along the way, he decided to start reviewing local pizzerias, and the concept took off. Here is every New Jersey pizzeria Dave has stopped in, along with the score he gave them.

50 Most Popular Chain Restaurants in America

YouGov investigated the most popular dining brands in the country, and Stacker compiled the list to give readers context on the findings. Read on to look through America's vast and divergent variety of restaurants—maybe you'll even find a favorite or two.

More From 94.5 PST