Ocean City Coronavirus Updates: Summer Shapes Up, Biz Struggles

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

Ocean City has nine coronavirus active cases and 32 people cleared off quarantine as of Tuesday morning, according to the Cape May County Health Department.

The virus has killed two people in Ocean City, according to officials. The CMCHD announced Monday the death of an 82-year-old Ocean City woman.

Officials have reported 659 total coronavirus cases in Cape May county and 53 deaths. The case total includes 435 people cleared off quarantine.

But the county has seen some progress slowing the spread of the virus, according to officials. Wednesday was the first day since April 5 with no new coronavirus cases to report. Read more: Cape May County: 1st Day In 2 Months Of No New Coronavirus Cases

Testing

Testing locations for COVID-19 now include Cape Regional Urgent Care in Wildwood, Marmora, and Cape May Court House, Cape Regional Hospital, Complete Care Health Network and CVS in Seaville. Proof of insurance is not needed at the Cape Regional Urgent Care locations.

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

Recent Updates

• The Ocean City Boardwalk Merchants Association called for Governor Phil Murphy to allow its businesses to reopen safely. Seventy-six percent of local boardwalk merchants say business is down at least 50 percent, according to a survey the organization released Friday. MORE.
• Eleven new coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania were traced to a person who spread the virus at recent beach house gatherings at the Jersey Shore, officials announced this weekend. The New Jersey and Bucks County health departments are investigating COVID- 19 exposures that occurred on Memorial Day weekend at a gathering at a house in Cape May County. MORE.
• Shore Medical Center now offers tests to determine whether patients have antibodies to the coronavirus. All asymptomatic individuals are eligible for the blood test. MORE.
• Governor Phil Murphy announced Monday that municipal and private-club swimming pools can reopen amid the coronavirus outbreak. Murphy said municipal and private-club swimming pools will reopen on Monday, June 22nd. MORE.

Schools

• Ocean City High School's graduation ceremony is on. The school will hold a ceremony the morning of July 9 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.
• Following Murphy's orders to allow in-person graduations, the school district set a date of July 7. But new state orders required the district to keep July 7 open because it's New Jersey's primary election day.
• 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.

Past Ocean City Developments

• Chris Lambert, who owns Atilis Gym in Ocean City, is one of the founders of the "New Jersey Business Coalition Opening 6/1/2020" Facebook group, which organized shuttered businesses to reopen Monday against Murphy's orders. Lambert took Patch inside the movement.
• Ocean City officials introduced a new budget and several ideas to make up for financial difficulties associated with the coronavirus crisis. MORE.
• The Somers Point Beach Concert Series, which has taken place for 27 years, won't take place this summer because of the coronavirus. 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.
• 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
• 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:

• Murphy has been 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 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
• 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 Ocean City Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com.