Coronavirus Closes Beaches, Boardwalks In Ortley To Seaside Park

The boardwalks are closed. The beaches are closed. To paraphrase Ferris Bueller at the end of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off:" Stay home.

Officials in Toms River, Bay Head, Mantoloking, Lavallette, Island Heights, Seaside Heights and Seaside Park have closed announced closures in their towns as efforts to convince people that being socially distant during the outbreak of the new coronavirus doesn't mean hanging out in a group.

The closures come as the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus continue to climb in the state and in the county. As of Friday afternoon, there were 8,825 positive tests for COVID-19 in New Jersey, and 108 people have died from it, according to the state health department. There have been 557 positive tests in Ocean County, according to the Ocean County Health Department.

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The closure in Ortley Beach was issued Friday afternoon by Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill, as towns to the south on the barrier island shut down theirs.

"This move was a difficult decision but is best for the health and safety of all our citizens," Hill said. Parks in the township remain open, but playgrounds and bathrooms are closed, and he urged residents to follow the social distancing guidelines.

"While it is safe to go for a walk, we encourage residents to remain six feet apart," he said. "Don’t go out in public unnecessarily."

Seaside Heights, which had closed its beaches both on the ocean and on the bay earlier on the week, closed the boardwalk on Friday. "We join Seaside Park, Lavallette, Island Heights, Point Pleasant Beach and numerous other coastal communities in New Jersey that have closed our boardwalks and/or beaches during the State of Emergency," the borough posted on its Facebook page. " 'Stay Healthy, Stay Positive, Stay Home.' Please."

Seaside Park closed its boardwalk on Friday, but said its beach entrances would remain open.

"This closure is to further protect borough employees and the public during Governor Murphy’s executive order to limit non-essential travel," the Seaside Park post said. "We appreciate everyone’s cooperation as we try to limit exposure during the Covid-19 pandemic so we can flatten the curve and get through this situation together as a community."

Lavallette closed its beach and boardwalk on Thursday and town officials said the closure will remain in effect until Murphy lifts the state of emergency.

In Island Heights, a large yellow sign with red lettering blared "CLOSED by order of the Mayor and Council," and applied to all of its public areas.

"All public access areas to include parks, beaches, docks, playgrounds, pavilion, and boardwalk, are closed until further notice. Also, all on-street parking on River Avenue is prohibited, except for authorized vehicles," the borough's notice said.

"We appreciate your cooperation during this unprecedented event, and want to remind everyone that the way to conquer this common threat is to act together," Island Heights officials said.

In Bay Head there's a local state of emergency that allows the police chief to close the parks, beaches and streets as needed. Mantoloking has banned parking on all public streets except for essential personnel and services, though the beaches are still open.

Point Pleasant Beach has closed its beaches and boardwalk as well.

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