Prosecutor Applauds Social Distancing In Burlington County

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office is thanking residents for following social distancing regulations put in place during the current outbreak of new coronavirus.

“We are starting to see glimmers of hope that this awful pandemic is relaxing its grip on our region, in no small part due to our collective efforts to stay home and practice social distancing,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. “Our local police departments have done a tremendous job engaging with their residents about the restrictions of the Executive Orders during this public health emergency. Our motto is to encourage compliance and address defiance.”

On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy said a June or July reopening is possible. Read more here: Gov. Murphy: June Reopen Possible; 351 More NJ Coronavirus Deaths

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In recent studies, Burlington County has scored well when it comes to social distancing and complying with Gov. Phil Murphy's stay-at-home orders.

“One issue that has created confusion about compliance with the current social distancing requirements and the restrictions on non-essential travel outside the home are so-called birthday and teacher drive-by parades,” the prosecutor’s office said. “These parades have proven to be big pick-me-ups to students missing their teachers, teachers missing their students, and people whose birthdays have fallen during this period of extreme social distancing when they cannot celebrate with family and friends the way they ordinarily would. We have also seen our first responders organize parades to honor and thank our tireless healthcare workers, who have played such a huge, selfless role in treating the many people sickened by COVID-19 in such a short time. They even have been used as a way to mourn and honor the dead during this time when proper memorial services are not feasible.

“Drive-by parades generally have been approved throughout New Jersey as being in compliance with the Executive Orders. Governor Murphy has described these parades as “touching,” but, understandably, he has cautioned that they should be done “in moderation,” so we don’t lose sight of our critical goal of staying home, staying healthy, and ending this pandemic as soon as possible, and with as few losses as possible.

“We believe Governor Murphy has struck the right chord for drive-by parades, and to address the open questions about them, we provide the following guidance for Burlington County: Drive-by parades should be done in moderation. Any drive-by parade must observe the requirements of social distancing, including that there be no “gathering” of more than 10 people, and no clustering of cars ahead of time to “marshal” for the parade. It should be organized prior to the date through instructions communicated via social media, email, texts, phone calls, etc. Vehicles should be staggered (with no more than 1 or 2 people in them), with times set for each one to drive by (one at 6:15, one at 6:16, and so on). Vehicles should not linger or congregate after driving by.

“To be clear, we are not encouraging drive-by parades, because the best advice for all is simply to stay home until we break the back of the coronavirus pandemic. However, we want to offer consistent guidance throughout the County so people considering engaging this activity do so safely and in a manner that complies with the Governor’s Executive Orders. Remember – we encourage compliance, and will address defiance.”

See related: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know