Latest Barnegat-Manahawkin Coronavirus Updates

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 235 coronavirus cases in Barnegat and 230 in Stafford as of Thursday morning. The virus has killed 10 people in Barnegat and 21 people in Stafford, according to officials.

The OCHD 65 new cases in Ocean County, bringing the county's total to 8,466 cases and 705 deaths.

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

• Southern Ocean Center, Manahawkin: 55 cases and 13 deaths among residents, 15 cases among staff
• Barnegat Rehabilitation & Nursing Center: nine cases and two deaths among residents, 11 cases among staff
• Manahawkin Nursing and Rehabilitation Center: eight cases and one death among residents, three cases among staff
• Atria Senior Living, Manahawkin: one case and one death among residents, two cases among staff

Testing

Ocean County drive-thru testing takes place at Ocean County College in Toms River from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Testing returned back to its original timeframe after reducing to 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. last week.

"We continue to watch the appointment schedule and adjust it as we go forward," said County Public Health Coordinator Daniel Regenye. "Based on current State recommendations we anticipate that we will be testing more people in the days ahead."

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.

Schools

• New Jersey school districts will be permitted to hold outdoor graduation ceremonies with social distancing beginning in July, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Tuesday. Murphy made the announcement on Twitter, saying the ceremonies, which can begin July 6, must "comply with social distancing – ensuring the health and safety of all in attendance." MORE.
• Despite Governor Phil Murphy's go-ahead for in-person graduations, Southern Regional will continue its virtual ceremony. But school officials are open to also conducting an in-person ceremony. MORE.
• Patch will update readers on any changes to end-of-the-year plans from local school districts.
• We're building a virtual yearbook, profiling local grads from across Barnegat, Mahahawkin and New Jersey, but we need your help to do it. MORE.

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

Restrictions and Updates

• The Barnegat Farmers Market will return next month, with some coronavirus precautions. MORE.
• Drive-in films are making a comeback in the area. Barnegat Recreation will show three drive-in flicks at the public dock. The Lighthouse International Film Festival on Long Beach Island will switch to a drive-in format for this summer.
• All Stafford Township parks reopened for recreation. The park bathrooms opened too, but the Township requires masks for entry. MORE.
• Barnegat Township canceled its summer camps because of the coronavirus. MORE.
• If you're unsure about leaving home and exploring Long Beach Island during the pandemic, there are several ways to help determine its crowdedness in certain areas. MORE.
• The Trenton Diocese approves of Governor Phil Murphy's directive to allow in-car religious services. The Diocese provided directives Friday for outdoor, drive-in services during the coronavirus pandemic. MORE.
• Lochiel Creek County Park reopened. MORE.
• Long Beach Township will soon make short-term rentals on residential properties available, but not until after Memorial Day weekend. The Township will lift several coronavirus restrictions June 1 as part of an emergency order officials signed May 5. MORE.
• Ocean County reopened Cloverdale Farm County Park in Barnegat. MORE.
• Barnegat opened its Municipal Dock and township parks for passive recreation. The Township closed all parks and playgrounds, the skate park and the Municipal Dock last month because of the new coronavirus. MORE.
• Ocean County began gradually reopening its parks and public lands May 2. MORE.
• We all know someone who's making a difference in this difficult time. Let's give them some of the recognition they deserve. Recognize a Barnegat-Manahawkin hero.
• Ocean Township canceled Founders Day because of the coronavirus. Festivities were scheduled for May 23. MORE.
• Here's how the OCHD has tried helping longterm-care facilities manage the coronavirus. MORE.
• Since the coronavirus outbreak began in Ocean and Monmouth counties, Fulfill has seen a 40 percent increase in the demand for food and has served more than 364,000 extra meals in the past month through its Crisis Relief Boxes program and its Restaurant Partnership Program. Finding a food pantry in your area is just a text away.
• County officials urged the public not to dispose of used gloves on the ground. Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari also asked food stores, convenience stores and other retail establishments to place additional trash cans in their parking lots. MORE.
• Open or closed? Patch created a simple directory for local businesses. Here's how to get listed.

Here's what else you should know:

• Throughout May, Murphy was releasing "hard dates" and more specifics on New Jersey's plans to reopen its economy, schools, daycare, summer camps and public transit during the coronavirus crisis. And he was expected to provide more details over the course of the month, and into June. Read more: Gov. Murphy: 'Hard Dates' For NJ Coronavirus Reopening (UPDATE)
• Murphy announced on Monday, May 4 that schools will close for the rest of the academic year because of the coronavirus outbreak. Read more: New Jersey Schools Closed For Rest Of Academic Year: Gov. Murphy
• Murphy issued a stay-at-home order on Saturday, March 21. He has since reopened certain parts of New Jersey's economy. Read more: Gov. Murphy Announces NJ 'Stay-At-Home' Order Due To Coronavirus
• Many New Jersey towns rank surprisingly high on the coronavirus case list. Here are the latest town-by-town numbers, ranked highest to lowest. Read more: Latest Release, Ranking Of Town-By-Town NJ Coronavirus Cases
• Murphy ordered stores across New Jersey on Wednesday, April 8 to require shoppers to wear face coverings or masks. Here's how you can get yours, and how the new rule will be enforced. Read more: NJ Shoppers Must Wear Masks: Where To Get Them, How It's Enforced
• Here are 10 resources for you and your family to utilize as you navigate through the outbreak: Unemployment, Tests, Food: 10 NJ Resources In Coronavirus Crisis
• New Jersey's courts suspended all new jury trials until further notice, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said on Thursday, March 12. Read more: Coronavirus Throws Monkey Wrench Into New Jersey Court System
• Murphy said during a live press conference on Wednesday, March 25 that he's ordering many day care centers to shut amid the coronavirus outbreak. Read more: Gov. Murphy To Shut Many Day Care Centers Amid Coronavirus Crisis
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel advisory for New Jersey. Read more: CDC Travel Advisory For NJ: No Coronavirus Travel Ban From Trump

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.