Barnegat-Area Coronavirus Update: Testing Expands, Gym Shuts Down

BARNEGAT, NJ — There's a lot of news to keep up with right now — locally, nationally and worldwide. Here's a recap of coronavirus updates in Barnegat and Manahawkin.

Cases

The Ocean County Health Department has reported 263 coronavirus cases in Barnegat and 257 in Stafford as of 1 p.m. Thursday. The virus has killed 28 people in Stafford and 13 in Barnegat, according to the OCHD.

Officials reported 17 new cases Wednesday in Ocean County, bringing the area to 9,601 cases and 892 deaths.

The State has reported the following in Barnegat and Stafford longterm care facilities as of Thursday:

• Southern Ocean Center, Manahawkin: 55 cases and 15 deaths among residents, 16 cases among staff
• Barnegat Rehabilitation & Nursing Center: nine cases and two deaths among residents, 13 cases among staff
• Manahawkin Nursing and Rehabilitation Center: 19 cases and one death among residents, six cases among staff
• Atria Senior Living, Manahawkin: one case and one death among residents, one case among staff

Testing

The OCHD will begin testing asymptomatic individuals at the Ocean County College testing site, along with those who show symptoms. Testing will be offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Proof of residency will be required. Emergency responders who do not work in the County but live in the county can also access testing at the site.

To schedule a test appointment, Ocean County residents can visit the Ocean County Health Department website at www.ochd.org. If residents have any questions, they can call the Health Department at 732-341-9700, Ext. 7411.

Additionally, Hackensack Meridian Urgent Care on Long Beach Island can test whether patients were previously infected with the coronavirus. Hackensack Meridian's urgent care centers began antibody testing May 2. MORE.

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Recent Updates

• Tilton Fitness, which had a Manahawkin location, permanently closed all of its fitness centers. The gyms will shut down because of financial difficulties associated with the coronavirus outbreak. MORE.
• Fantasy Island Amusement Park, and other outdoor attractions in New Jersey, finally received Governor Phil Murphy's approval to reopen. Matt Freed, Fantasy Island's general manager, had mixed emotions about the timeline. Freed took Patch inside Fantasy Island's opening.
• Long Beach Township officials released two executive orders last week: One imposes a curfew on people 17 and under. The other outlines times in which outdoor dining and related music must end each night. MORE.

Here's what else you should know:

• Many big parts of New Jersey are reopening on Thursday. Here's what you can do now (and what you couldn't do for three months) amid the coronavirus. Read more: NJ's Reopening Day On Thursday: What You Can Do Now Amid COVID-19
• Murphy announced on Monday that he's delayed the reopening of indoor dining. Read more: Gov. Murphy Postpones NJ Indoor Dining Reopen Amid Coronavirus

Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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