These additional visitors have put an additional strain on the local supermarkets but could eventually be a burden on the medical system in Cape May County, should a significant outbreak of COVID-19 take place here.

“We love all of our visitors from Pennsylvania, North Jersey, New York, and further away,” said Freeholder Director Gerald M. Thornton. “But this is not the time to be visiting the shore as we try to focus resources needed during this pandemic to our residents.”

There have been reports of limited supplies at certain supermarkets and other stores, which is an issue nationwide but has been compounded locally by the number of visitors to Cape May County over the past weekend. Cape May County only has one hospital in the County and Thornton wants to ensure their resources aren’t overtaxed if potentially sick people visit the County cause a mass outbreak.

Also, based on the Governor’s orders, restaurants are doing take-out only or have closed completely. Movie theaters and many other gathering locations are closed.

“We are hoping that people act responsibly now so we can minimize the health impacts in as short of a period of time as possible,” said Thornton. “It would be best if people could stay in their full-time residence for now as we address this current outbreak.”