This Weekend Is Prep For Memorial Day: Ocean City Mayor

OCEAN CITY, NJ — With several coronavirus restrictions getting lifted or modified, this weekend will serve as preparation for Memorial Day weekend in Ocean City, according to Mayor Jay Gillian.

The boardwalk and beaches reopened for certain activities last weekend. Beginning Saturday, activities such as sunbathing, sitting in chairs and swimming will be allowed at the beaches. Read more: Ocean City To Allow More Beach Activities Saturday

"The beaches are going to open this weekend for regular activities," Gillian said at Thursday's City Council meeting. "We’re going to do that so we can prepare ourselves for next weekend."

Gillian listed several other updates to coronavirus restrictions:

• public restrooms on the boardwalks have reopened and get sanitized.
• hand sanitizer dispensers are on the boardwalk, and officials will place more hand sanitizer throughout town
• the seagull-abatement program involving raptors scaring away the birds returns this weekend
• the skatepark and golf course have opened with restrictions
• the Ocean City Dog Park reopened
• parking lots are open this weekend

Ocean City will also begin allowing short-term rentals starting May 30 — the Saturday after Memorial Day — instead of June 1, as originally planned.

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"I would just implore folks to follow the rules, use common sense, have patience," said Councilman Bobby Barr. "Follow the rules so that we don’t have to make any decisions that we don’t want to and we can have the kind of summer we all want."

Read more on Ocean City's coronavirus restrictions.

Ocean City closed its beaches and boardwalk March 25 because of the coronavirus. Ocean City has 13 active coronavirus cases and 20 people cleared off quarantine as of Friday afternoon, according to the Cape May County Health Department. No deaths have been reported in Ocean City.

"Whether you agree with it or not or whether you want to believe anybody, this could’ve been worse," Gillian said. "So it was a good thing that they were wrong with the numbers, and it was a good thing that they over-projected because it made us do what we had to do to keep our families safe."

Watch Thursday's City Council meeting below:

Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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