Around Toms River: COVID Restrictions Will Cost Jobs: Bar Owners

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations around the state and in Ocean County is having an impact in Toms River.

Bars and restaurants say jobs will be lost as a result of the new restrictions put in place by Gov. Phil Murphy as part of efforts to curtail the dramatic rise in cases in New Jersey and in Ocean County.

The state has 279,274 cases as of Sunday, an increase of more than 24,000 since Nov. 8. It's not just the number of cases that has officials concerned; hospitalizations have risen 30 percent, from 1,538 on Nov. 8 to 2,004 as of Sunday.

Ocean County's health department announced 172 new ones on Saturday, giving Ocean a cumulative total of 18,621 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March. That number is up more than 1,000 since Nov. 8. Of those, 5,290 people have been hospitalized, and there have been 1,021 people who have died, an increase of 10 deaths from Nov. 8, according to the Ocean County Health Department. There are 527 people hospitalized as of Sunday in the Central region of the state, which includes Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counites, according to the state health department.

Toms River has added more than 200 cases since Nov. 8, rising from 2,692 to 2,911 cases as of Sunday, according to the county health department. There have been 175 deaths, an increase of eight from Nov. 8.

Murphy has imposed a 10 p.m. indoor curfew at bars and restaurants and eliminating bar seating. Murphy also signed an order allowing communities to establish a curfew as early as 8 p.m. Read more: Gov. Murphy Clarifies Rules For NJ Indoor Dining, Bars, Barbers

Those restrictions will cost people their jobs, Toms River restaurant owners and managers say. Read more: New Bar Restrictions Will Cost Jobs, Toms River Restaurants Say

The social distancing guidelines and capacity limits will hamper efforts to help the homeless this winter, Councilman Terrance Turnbach said. The township's Riverwood emergency shelter is the only one in the county. It's time for the county and other towns to step up and do their part to help, Turnbach said. Read more: Toms River Councilman Urges Ocean Towns To Help Their Homeless

Around town

Residents of the downtown area are reminded that Suez is scheduled to begin work replacing water mains. Read more: Suez Set To Replace Water Mains In Downtown Toms River Streets

Residents waiting for confirmation that their ballots have been counted should see that updated after Thursday, which is the deadline for the Ocean County Board of Elections to certify the county's election totals. That certification also should give final tallies in the Toms River Regional Board of Education race.

The election board's work was disrupted last week after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus, prompting more than 200 county employees who work in the building to get tested. Read more: 16 Ocean County Workers Test Positive For COVID-19: Official

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