Barnegat-Area Coronavirus Updates: Nurses To Picket

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 259 cases and 12 deaths in Barnegat as of Friday morning. That's an increase of four cases with no additional deaths since Patch's last update June 11.

The OCHD has reported 246 cases and 27 deaths in Stafford as of Friday morning, an increase of four cases and one death since June 11.

The health department announced 42 new cases Thursday in Ocean County, bringing the area to 9,314 cases and 835 deaths.

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

• 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

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

Recent Updates

• Nurses will picket outside Southern Ocean in Manahawkin and Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, fighting for "adequate protection." MORE.
• Looking for outdoor dining in Stafford? Here are six restaurants that applied to add outdoor dining.
• Barnegat High School's graduating class has spoken, and they would like to participate in a graduation ceremony with all their peers. The school district announced Tuesday it will hold a commencement with all students, rather than multiple ceremonies. MORE.
• Manahawkin Lake at A. Paul King County Park reopened Friday for swimming. The site will feature new restrooms and a new picnic pavilion that can accommodate up to 100 people. MORE.
• A national audience got a taste of Long Beach Island's summer fun, and how the coronavirus has affected operations. Stephanie Ruhle — NBC's senior business correspondent and a New Jersey native — explored LBI for "Today." MORE.

Testing

Ocean County drive-thru testing takes place at Ocean County College in Toms River. Patients must meet the following requirements to get tested:

• You must be an Ocean County resident and have identification.
• You must have a healthcare practitioner script.
• You must make an online appointment at www.ochd.org.
• You must be symptomatic.

Rite Aid on Mule Road in Toms River now offers coronavirus testing. Patients will have to swab their nostrils themselves. MORE.

AtlantiCare Physician Group Primary Care and Urgent Care also now offers testing in Little Egg Harbor. MORE.

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.

Here's what else you should know:

• Gov. Phil Murphy, speaking during a Friday news conference, there were deaths have "not been counted," so New Jersey should expect the fatality toll to soon rise. He made the statements as he announced 516 more coronavirus cases and 37 more deaths. Read more: NJ: Uncounted Coronavirus Deaths To Be Added, Expect Toll To Rise
• Murphy will allow indoor shopping malls to reopen amid the coronavirus crisis. Murphy made the announcement Thursday as he said New Jersey has 442 additional coronavirus cases and 38 more deaths. Read more: Gov. Murphy To Allow Reopening Of Indoor Malls Amid Coronavirus
• New Jersey also entered "stage two" of its reopening on Monday, with a number of businesses restarting. Read more: NJ's Big Reopen Day: Here's What You Can Do In Coronavirus Crisis

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

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Follow Barnegat-Manahawkin Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com.