Jersey Shore Braces for Coronavirus as Former Non-Essential Businesses Reopen

Date: March 30, 2020

By Ronny Castaneda and Bob Towey

 An amendment to last week’s “stay-at-home” order adds several businesses to New Jersey’s list of retailers allowed to operate during the coronavirus outbreak and provides guidance to help the Jersey Shore control COVID-19.

 

The update issued on March 24 by Gov. Phil Murphy and State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick Callahan reopens phone stores, bicycle service shops, nurseries, livestock feed vendors, and farming equipment suppliers. It also gives coastal communities the power to close beaches and boardwalks to curb the virus’ spread.

“While we understand this is an unprecedented time for our state, I thank each and every New Jerseyan for using their common sense and staying home as much as possible,” Murphy said in a statement.

 

 Shore towns restricting access to their boardwalks include Spring Lake, Point Pleasant Beach, Asbury Park, and Lavallette, with a few others shutting their beaches according to nj.com. The coronavirus could impact the region’s summer home rental and tourism industries depending on how long the mandates last.

 

The order stresses that reopened retailers must abide by the state’s social distancing protocol. Some businesses in state have taken the measure a step further, placing strips of tape six feet apart in checkout lines to mark where people should stand to inhibit germ contamination.

 

As of March 29, New Jersey reported over 13,300 coronavirus cases, an increase of over 2,000 from the day before per Johns Hopkins University. New York State still leads the country in total cases with nearly 60,000 people affected by the virus.

Posted in: WSOU, WSOU Exclusive