Cloverdale Farm County Park In Barnegat To Reopen

BARNEGAT, NJ — Ocean County will reopen three parks Thursday, including Cloverdale Farm County Park. The County began gradually reopening its parks and public lands Saturday, lifting some new-coronavirus restrictions.

Tip Seaman County Park in Tuckerton and Cattus Island County Park in Toms River will also reopen Thursday. Officials will also allow singles tennis and pickleball at Tip Seaman County Park, Ocean County Park in Lakewood, Jakes Branch County Park in Beachwood.

"I want to stress these parks are being reopened for passive recreation — walking, jogging, hiking, running and similar activities," said County Freeholder Virginia B. Haines. "Visitors must maintain social distancing and adhere to the other requirements set in place for the safety of the public and our County staff.”

Ocean County closed its parks and public lands March 31 because of the coronavirus. County officials reopened seven parks, two golf courses, the Barnegat Branch Trail and its natural land sites Saturday — the same day Governor Phil Murphy reopened state parks and allowed counties to open their parks. Read more: Ocean County To Gradually Reopen Its Parks

Playgrounds, public bathrooms, nature centers, pavilions, dog parks and small county parks remain closed to the public. Parking will continue to be capped at 50 percent, and the County strongly suggests wearing a face covering.

Large gatherings, sports and picnics remain prohibited in county parks.

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“It’s important that we do this right. We want to see the numbers continue to trend downward of people getting COVID-19," said Freeholder Director Joseph M. Vicari. "We need to stay the course but we also realize people need opportunities for passive recreation for their overall health."

The Ocean County Health Department has reported 7,050 coronavirus cases and 477 deaths as of Wednesday morning.

Murphy praised the public Monday after an "overwhelming majority" followed social distancing rules last weekend at state and county parks.

“I want to thank the overwhelming number of you who did the right thing,” he said. “We heard very few instances of knucklehead behavior that would require me to reverse course and close them again.”

But not every place had a smooth reopening. Officials reopened Lake Horicon in Lakehurst and then closed it again because of "multiple people who decided that they were going to ignore parts of the lake that are closed, along with ignoring social distancing guidelines," police said.

Lake Horicon reopened Monday, with several areas still closed, including the picnic areas, playground, gazebo and pavilion and the water for swimming.

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

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