Sea Isle City Closes Beaches, Promenade Amid Coronavirus

SEA ISLE CITY, NJ — Sea Isle City closed its beaches and Promenade until further notice Friday because of the novel coronavirus. The city is among many Jersey Shore municipalities closing its main attractions to slow the spread of the virus.

Ocean City closed its beaches and boardwalk Wednesday. Despite Phil Murphy's "stay-at-home" order, the governor has left beach and boardwalk closures up to municipalities.

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“Our challenge in local government," said Sea Isle Mayor Leonard Desiderio, "is to take the necessary steps to ensure that we enable everyone to comply with the governor’s orders not to have social gatherings and to maintain proper social distancing.”

Officials have confirmed 10 cases of the novel coronavirus in Cape May County as of Sunday morning, including one in Ocean City and one in Sea Isle City.

New Jersey reached 11,124 total positive cases Saturday, including 140 deaths, Murphy announced. Read more: Gov. Murphy: NJ Coronavirus Cases Top 11K, 32 More Deaths

Jersey Shore officials continue to determine local restrictions to implement during the pandemic. Long Beach Township went as far as banning short-term rentals, proclaiming itself a "disaster area." Read more: Long Beach Township Bans Short-Term Rentals As Coronavirus Hits

Some municipalities, such as Belmar, have kept their beaches and boardwalk open. But Mayor Mark Walsifer said Friday if people don't practice social distancing.

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