Restroom Facilities In NJ Parks Could Reopen By Saturday

NEW JERSEY — There will be no need for Garden State residents to "hold it" or "improvise" soon as Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday he will be allowing the restroom facilities in at public parks.

As to when, that could take a little time.

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"Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection Catherine McCabe, Matt Platkin (Murphy's Chief Counsel), would want me to remind everybody that it will take a while for us to roll through with the proper seasonal staffing and get all those restrooms up and running and properly sanitized," Murphy said.

Murphy said the restrooms will remain open as long as they can undergo frequent and proper cleaning.

"So at the parks please bear with us, that will begin I think as early as Saturday but it is going to take some time," he said.

Murphy made the announcement at the same time he said beaches, public and private, were going to be open throughout the state. Read More: Gov. Murphy: NJ Beaches Will Reopen Amid Coronavirus Crisis

Since the parks reopened a few weeks ago there were issues with people leaving containers of feces on trails and around parks.

"There is a zero tolerance policy for that," Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said at the time. "The whole idea behind the parks is to give our citizens the ability to go out and enjoy the fresh air and have time outside. That report from Park Police was certainly disheartening to say the least."

Police at the state and county levels were be on the lookout for that, and will continue to be in places where the restrooms haven't opened.

"You are not going to get a warning if we catch you leaving something like that behind, so please don't do it," Murphy had said.

Callahan said people should plan before venturing out to the parks.

On April 9, Murphy announced that the parks would be closed because of "far too many incidents" at the state's various parks.

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