'It's Past Time' To Reopen Indoor Dining, Gyms: Toms River Mayor

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Toms River Mayor Maurice B. Hill joined a growing chorus of municipal officials around the state who are urging Gov. Phil Murphy to reopen indoor dining, fitness centers and movie theaters.

During the Toms River Township Council meeting Tuesday, Hill said he spoke with state officials recently and urged them reopen those businesses as New Jersey's infection rates continue to go down in the coronavirus pandemic.

New Jersey's rate of transmission was at 0.83 as of Tuesday afternoon, sitting below 1 for the 19th day in a row. There were 346 new positive cases statewide, giving New Jersey more than 190,000 since the first case was reported March 4. There were 78 people in the intensive care unit and 30 of those were on ventilators as of Monday, according to the state's coronavirus dashboard. There have been 14,124 people who have died from the effects of the coronavirus.

It is seeing numbers like those that have had Hill and the council increase calls for a relaxation of restrictions, to allow businesses to stay afloat.

While many Toms River restaurants have taken advantage of the outdoor dining permissions, it is very much weather-dependent. The inability to have any indoor dining has created tremendous financial stress, and some restaurants have closed altogether.

"I've asked them repeatedly to open up indoor dining, fitness centers, movie theaters," Hill said. "They said they're thinking about it."

"I said it's past that time," Hill said.

Indoor dining and fitness centers aren't the only things some want to see open, however. Parents have been pushing for schools to open, and Toms River is no exception. Plans that the district revealed that would require teachers to be in their classrooms to teach, while students study remotely, have received mix reactions from teachers and parents. Read more: Toms River School Plan: Teachers In Buildings, Students At Home

Jennifer Howe, who serves on the Toms River Regional Board of Education, spoke during the public portion of the township council meeting on Tuesday.

While her primary message was to urge the council to get along because weeks of strife have resulted in negative news reports, Howe also urged the council and Hill to see what they could do to get the township's schools to reopen.

"I agree with you about the numbers," Howe said, referring to Hill's comments about the decreased transmission rate and lower critical care figures.

"Our numbers are low enough where our kids will be safe," she said. "Our kids need to go back to school and encouragement from the council to the higher-ups would be appreciated."

Howe said the persistent infighting and anger that's been on display — which has stemmed from persistent conflict between Councilman Dan Rodrick and Hill and the rest of the council — have been ugly. Those conflicts, combined with the conflict over the school restart plans that have turned parents against teachers, are not good for the town, she said.

"You can disagree with each other but the hatred is bad for our town," Howe said. She said the kids will take what happens with school in stride, but said the problem is the behavior of the adults.

"The kids are going to make do," she said. "The adults are the worst."

"It's not good for our town that every week they're reading the boards were arguing," she said.

Council President Maria Maruca said the town has always come together in past times of crisis, but the ongoing nature of the pandemic has frayed people's nerves and patience.

She urged the community and the council to redouble the efforts to be a community that takes care of each other.

"If everyone comes together and does something, (such as) help out at the church, or patronize a business, the little things will add up," Maruca said.

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