From Ocean County:

AT THE URGING OF GOV. Murphy and local officials, more of Ocean County’s shore communities are tightening restrictions in order to improve social distancing as COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the region.

As of Friday, several towns, including Seaside Heights, Point Pleasant Beach and Lavallette already have constraints on beach/boardwalk access, with more possibly to come.

“Governor Phil Murphy has made it clear that limiting or blocking ocean and beach access is under the jurisdiction of the local towns,” said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. “In this time of crisis, the county will support whatever our local communities deem necessary.”

Other tourist destinations, including Point Pleasant Beach, Bay Head and Long Beach Township are imposing bans or restrictions on rental properties.

Local leaders have repeatedly said that the influx of summer residents during the off season is putting a strain on local services.

“While tourism is Ocean County’s bread and butter, we do ask everyone to stay in their primary homes and not relocate to a summer house in Ocean County or anywhere else,” Vicari said. “Many of our seasonal restaurants and businesses are closed and do not have the staff or the supplies to cater to this sudden increase in population.”

Even grocery stores do not have the extra stock they would normally have during the summer, he said.

“The best way to take care of your family is to stay home and do not travel,” Vicari said.

Freeholder Gerry P. Little, liaison to the Ocean County Health Department, agreed and asked everyone to obey restrictions coming from all levels of government.

“To stop the spread of this virus and protect the health and well being of our families and our neighbors we must all adhere to these extraordinary measures,” Little said. “By working together, we can protect all of our residents, especially the elderly and those with underlying health conditions who are most at risk of getting seriously ill.”

Towns with restrictions on beach or boardwalk access include:

• Bay Head: A Proclamation of a Local State of Emergency allows the police chief to close pubic parks, beaches and streets “as needed” to enforce social distancing.
• Island Heights: The scenic river boardwalk and all other public access areas are closed.
• Lavallette: Beaches and the boardwalk are closed.
• Long Beach Township: No dogs are allowed on bay beaches. Ocean beaches remain open.
• Mantoloking: Beaches remain open, but parking is prohibited on all public streets except for essential personnel and services.
• Point Pleasant Beach: The Boardwalk is closed. Barriers are being placed on both inlet and Boardwalk parking lots. Jenkinson’s is also closed.
• Seaside Heights: All ocean and bay beaches are closed. The Boardwalk is also closed.
• Seaside Park: The boardwalk is closed. Ocean beaches remain open.
• Ship Bottom: All parks and bay beaches are closed. Ocean beaches are open.
   Ortley Beach (Toms River Township) beaches are closed.

These towns have placed restrictions or are in the process of placing restrictions on rental properties:

• Bay Head: No rentals on Airbnb or similar online services.
• Lavallette: Has banned renting out homes on Airbnb and other online marketplaces.
• Long Beach Township: All rentals are banned.
• Point Pleasant Borough: Banning all Airbnb and vacation rentals
• Point Pleasant Beach: Local officials are drafting a resolution to place an immediate moratorium on the renting of all vacation homes and properties.

For the latest updates on COVID-19 visit www.ocean.nj.us.

The county cites 624 cases as of Saturday.

The statewide COVID-19 case count as of 1pm Saturday March 28th has topped 10,000, and now stands at 11,124 and a total of 140 fatalities, an increase of 32 deaths in the past 24 hours.

Cases by County
Data is provisional and subsequent to revision.

2,478 Positives Pending Further Information

Bergen County:

1838 Positive Test Result(s)

Essex County:

1086 Positive Test Result(s)

Middlesex County:

808 Positive Test Result(s)

Monmouth County:

781 Positive Test Result(s)

Hudson County:

771 Positive Test Result(s)

Union County:

742 Positive Test Result(s)

Ocean County:

624 Positive Test Result(s)

Passaic County:

608 Positive Test Result(s)

Morris County:

442 Positive Test Result(s)

Somerset County:

258 Positive Test Result(s)

Mercer County:

168 Positive Test Result(s)

Camden County:

123 Positive Test Result(s)

Burlington County:

115 Positive Test Result(s)

Sussex County:

81 Positive Test Result(s)

Hunterdon County:

61 Positive Test Result(s)

Gloucester County:

51 Positive Test Result(s)

Warren County:

51 Positive Test Result(s)

Atlantic County:

17 Positive Test Result(s)

Cumberland County:

11 Positive Test Result(s)

Cape May County:

7 Positive Test Result(s)

Salem County:

3 Positive Test Result(s)