Latest Ocean City Coronavirus Updates

OCEAN CITY, 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 Ocean City and Cape May County.

Cases

The Cape May County Health Department has reported 11 active cases, 26 people cleared off quarantine and one death in Ocean City as of Wednesday afternoon.

Officials reported Ocean City's first coronavirus death Friday: an 85-year-old woman in a longterm-care facility. State officials reported the death in The Shores at Wesley Manor.

The CMCHD has reported 233 active cases, 314 people cleared off quarantine and 47 deaths as of Tuesday. That includes 110 active cases, 38 people cleared off quarantine and 37 deaths in longterm-care facilities.

Here is the breakdown by municipality:

Testing

Cape May County drive-thru testing is available for CompleteCare patients and county residents who are sick with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath and meet certain criteria.

Symptomatic first responders who are residents of the county will also be given priority testing. In order to receive testing, individuals can go to CompleteCareNJ.org/COVID19 or call 609-465-0258 and request to be screened. Web registration is best, according to officials.

If you are not a CompleteCare patient, obtain a script from your doctor. Once you have the script do the following:

1. Go to completecarenj.org.
2. Read the statement and click "I understand."
3. Click request an appointment on right of screen.
4. Complete requested information.
5. Await call from CompleteCare staff to review symptoms.
6. CompleteCare will forward script to Health Department.
7. Health Department staff will call and schedule the appointment.

The test will be free of charge and no co-pay will be required for the screening. Translation services are available for those in need.

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Schools

• Ocean City High School's graduation ceremony is on. The school will hold a ceremony the morning of July 7 at Carey Stadium. Governor Phil Murphy announced Monday he would allow outdoor graduation ceremonies starting July 6. They must "comply with social distancing — ensuring the health and safety of all in attendance," Murphy said. MORE.
• We're building a virtual yearbook, profiling local grads from across Ocean City and New Jersey, but we need your help to do it. MORE.
• The Ocean City School District has a resource guide for remote learning and support.

Restrictions and Updates

• The owner of four local gyms, including Atilis Gym in Ocean City, says he will reopen his businesses Monday in defiance of Governor Phil Murphy's coronavirus orders. Chris Lambert feels it's time to stage a mass opening of "non-essential" businesses following months of closures. MORE.
• Memorial Day weekend often signals the unofficial beginning of summer on the Jersey Shore. It did the same last weekend, bringing a dose of familiarity to summer activities while also providing a preview of how the coronavirus may affect the shore this summer. MORE.
• Ocean City Patch spoke with the owners of Hobby Horse Ice Cream Parlor, who closed last fall because of a fire and find themselves reopening during a pandemic. Read more on their journey back.
• If you're unsure about leaving home and exploring Ocean City, there are several ways to help determine its crowdedness in certain areas. MORE.
• Cape May County's social distancing ambassadors will return to Ocean City on June 6. The initiative provides "positive reinforcement" rather than enforcement. MORE.
• Ocean City prepped for Memorial Day weekend with more openings. The City allowed for more activities on the beaches, reopened public restrooms on the boardwalk and reintroduced the seagull-chasing raptors. MORE.
• Corson's Inlet State Park quietly reopened. The State previously closed the beach less than a day into its May 2 reopening. MORE.
• Shore Medical Center and Cape Regional Medical Center continue to fight for "much-needed" federal funding. Several politicians have stepped in to help, including Congressman Jeff Van Drew and Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez. MORE
• County officials began allowing seasonal rentals Monday. Short-term rentals would commence June 1.
• We all know someone who's making a difference in this difficult time. Let's give them some of the recognition they deserve. Nominate an Ocean City hero.
• Open or closed? Patch created a a simple Open-or-Closed Directory for local businesses. Here's how to get listed.
• Cape May County created a Business Recovery Task Force. MORE.

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

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