Updated May. 22, 2020 2:00 PM
For a moment, Ocean City, New Jersey, sat in a bubble of normalcy ahead of Memorial Day weekend. The sun was out, thawing out the beach and beckoning people outside. As before, families brought their children out to roam the boardwalk and teenagers, liberated from school, took the opportunity to get outside. Older couples strolled through, stretching their legs. Beachgoers picked up where the end of last summer had left off, though with echoes of a collective hardship.
The weather was lovely, but the crowd at the boardwalk was sparse enough, allowing people to keep their distance as multiple signs urged them to do.
Markings on the boardwalk gave subtle reminders of what 6-feet apart looks like. Some beachgoers donned masks as they walked the line of empty arcades and closed souvenir shops. A handful of stores posted signs asking people to call New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to allow them to reopen. The ones that were still able to unlock their doors kept customers outside for the most part, completing purchases in the doorway.
Still, it was a weekend at the beach adjacent to normalcy. The smell of Manco and Manco's
"It felt great to be out in the sun and someplace different and it felt, I mean, going down to the Jersey Shore is a Philadelphia tradition here in the summer, right?" Radel, 48, told AccuWeather over a Skype interview. "So, it felt like a little bit of normality returning with people on the beach and people on the boardwalk and kids running around with ice cream."
People line up for Kohr Bros frozen custard the weekend the boardwalk of Ocean City, New Jersey, reopened amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Twitter / Todd Radel)
Upon hearing Ocean City's beach would be opening over the weekend of May 16, Radel made the hour-and-a-half drive from Bucks County to get out of the house and walk along the boardwalk. Equipped with a mask, he spent an hour at Ocean City and another two to three hours in Wildwood, a few towns to the south, where there is a bigger boardwalk and more to see.
The majority of people, Radel said, had doffed their masks. Radel walked the several miles of open boardwalk without one, too -- though he donned it when entering into buildings, he said. He avoided going down to the beach.
Beachgoers walk along the Ocean City boardwalk, enjoying a moment of near-normalcy. Many stores remain closed during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (Twitter / Todd Radel)
Farther down the beach of Ocean City, away from the traffic of the boardwalk, high school art teacher Miranda Thompson, 44, walked with her two kids. After the beaches had opened up for walking, they wore masks and took an afternoon stroll in the once
They had taken up residence at Thompson's parents' house, which sits close to the beach, to help with cooking and
Two months later, on May 14, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced that the Jersey Shore would be opening in time for the Memorial Day weekend with some social distancing guidelines.
"The Shore is central to our Jersey identity and we want to ensure that families can safely enjoy it this summer," he wrote in a Twitter post.
As of Friday, May 22, all public and private beaches will have capacity and admission limitations, 6-feet markings in certain locations, a public outreach campaign on social distancing restrictions, and sanitation requirements. The beaches won't be able to hold special events and playgrounds, rides, arcades, games, water fountains, picnic areas, and water play equipment will remain closed.
Portion of the beach at Ocean City, New Jersey, empty on May 19, 2020, amid windy conditions. (Miranda Thompson)
Currently, Ocean City has no restrictions for sunbathing or sitting on the beach, Thompson told AccuWeather in a Skype interview, beyond the guidelines imposed by the state, which call for social distancing and recommend face coverings -- but don't mandate them.
Thompson said she noticed a higher police presence on the island than she had seen in the 25 years her parents have owned a home there, though the security was relaxed. It was the day before the beach would open, but the sun was out and temperatures around 75 degrees Fahrenheit, she said.
"I would say most people are happy for that," Thompson said, noting there were typically more patrols in the off season. "We know that the police are out there and our first responders. And obviously we've seen statistically that police and obviously hospital personnel are impacted at a higher level because of being out, so I don't think anyone is worried about the police."
Thompson added that everyone, from what she had seen walking around, had been keeping their distance from each other. She still attempts to isolate, only going out for groceries every two weeks to buy enough to
In conversations with the grocery cashier, and based on articles she reads in the local newspaper, she acknowledges concerns about balancing job security and economics with health. But something else looms. She worries about capacity of the city's Shore Memorial Hospital. Year-round, about 10,000 people live in Ocean City. During the summer, that number balloons to 150,000, Thompson estimates.
The empty boardwalk at Ocean City, New Jersey. Although the beach was open, few people came out on May 19, 2020. (Miranda Thompson)
"The hospital system that they have down here isn't equipped to deal with that," Thompson said. At the same time, many people who own properties at the beach, including Thompson's parents, usually depend on visitors during the summer season. This season, her parents canceled all of their rentals, unable to ensure that people visiting would be safe despite the financial hit to themselves.
"My concern is in two weeks we're going to see a huge surge of the local population has gotten it (the virus). And that's always been my concern," Thompson said. While she says she wants people to come to the beach and enjoy nature and the socialization, about one in five to one in 10 of the people she has seen have a mask on.
"You can’t expect maybe that even if the government put restrictions in place or some sort of system in place that everybody is going to adhere to that," Thompson said. "I think it’s really up to each one of us as individuals to have some personal responsibility and ownership at this time. I don’t go outside without a mask.”
Even though the Thompson family hasn't been physically in touch with anyone outside of the immediate family for about two months, Thompson says she still wears a mask whenever she goes out, even though she's low-risk.
"Studies show that by wearing a mask in public, we really can take control of that. And that’s what the countries that have gotten it under control have done," Thompson said. "So I think it’s up to each one of us as citizens to be respectful and maybe say, okay, I don’t believe in this for myself, or I don’t think I need it for myself, but do it for the greater good, you know, compromise for our elderly family and friends. That even just the peace of mind of seeing that people are doing what scientists are saying is required to really beat this."
Families visited the Ocean City boardwalk on May 16, the same day the beach reopened. The moment of normalcy allowed for people to leave their homes and stretch their legs. (Twitter / Todd Radel)
New Jersey has the second-highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. behind New York with 150,776 cases, as of Thursday afternoon, compared to the Empire State’s more than 356,458, according to data from Johns Hopkins. The virus has killed more than 10,000 people in the state, accounting for 7% of the cases. About 16% of those infected in New Jersey have recovered. New Jersey fatalities accounts for about 11% of the total U.S. deaths from the illness compared to New York's nearly 31%.
A handful of people, including Radel, don't believe the state is ready for reopening the beaches.
"I don't think we've done enough to prepare," Radel said. "I don't think we've done enough testing, and I think without the testing it's going to be really hard to trace new infections and, if we release the restrictions and start allowing people to gather, I worry about what's going to happen."
Other beaches along the Jersey Shore have more heavy-handed restrictions compared to Ocean City. John Burke visited a beach at Sandy Hook on Saturday with his wife, in pursuit of a relaxing beach day. At Sandy Hook, however, beaches were available for passive recreational use only. This includes running, hiking, fishing and kayaking. Swimming, picnicking and large group gatherings and activities were prohibited.
"I don't agree with those rules because I think we have the right to assume our own risk," Burke, 37, told AccuWeather in a phone interview. "So, it was really interesting to see a park ranger with a gun on the beach telling people not to engage in an activity that at any other time would be their absolute civil liberty and taken for granted."
Law enforcement at beach in Sandy Hook, New Jersey. The beach was available for passive activities only the weekend ahead of Memorial Day weekend. (Twitter / John Burke)
Burke said that the park ranger was the only authority figure present at that beach. No lifeguards were present, and the ranger called to swimmers to stay out of the water. When she turned away, Burke said, people would wade back in.
A resident of New Jersey who lives just a 45-minute drive to the beach, Burke is employed as a "semi-essential" worker. He believes it's time for the Jersey Shore to be reopened.
"I think it should be opened immediately. People own their bodies, they're individuals, they should have the right to assume their own risk," Burke said.
In addition to other precautions, some New Jersey beaches like Cape May have announced "social distancing ambassadors" are being deployed to encourage visitors to remain 6 feet apart to prevent the spread of the virus. According to ABC News, the ambassadors of Cape May are health department staff members and volunteers of its Medical Reserve Corps.
"Cape May County Department of Health wants to remind residents and visitors to continue taking action to slow the spread of COVID-19. By protecting yourself and others you can help save lives," Cape May County health officer Kevin Thomas said in a statement.
The ambassadors will wear the seal of the county, and their job will consist of handing out educational material to beachgoers.
California beaches have adopted similar regulations to New Jersey, asking guests to keep moving with activities such as jogging, swimming and cycling. Across most of the open beaches, sunbathing, napping or just lounging isn't allowed.
Despite the precautions and restrictions, beachgoers like Radel and Thompson remain nervous about what an influx of visitors could bring to New Jersey.
"If people start to crowd in and they're packed on the Jersey beaches like I saw, you know, on news footage from Florida and California then I think that it could be a problem and people become the source of community infection," Radel said.
Visitors returned to the beach of Ocean City on May 16, 2020. Groups of people distanced themselves from others during their visit. (Twitter / Todd Radel)
Countries that benefit from summer tourism like Spain and Italy have been searching for a way to encourage beachgoers while also providing a solution to social distancing on the beach. One proposal came from Italian company Nuova Neon Group 2: installing transparent plexiglass cubicles in which beachgoers can sunbathe.
"The idea was born with the dual purpose of protecting but also of restarting activities ... in our opinion it can work," owner of the Nuova Neon Group 2 Claudio Ferrari told La Repubblica.
"On a typical beach day with a sea-breeze, the cubicles would appear to be practical," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bob Smerbeck said. He noted that if they were not anchored properly, however, a strong thunderstorm could pose as a threat to everyone on the beach.
"They would be good for social distancing, but I would not want to be around the cubicle city during a severe thunderstorm when they all start blowing around like projectiles," Smerbeck said. "One other thing, if it was hot and sticky on the beach with very little wind, those cubicles may get even hotter inside due to the greenhouse effect. A nice breeze would suck some of the heat out of the cubicle but if the wind was calm, it could get even hotter in there."
A storm is just what will be heading for the Jersey Shore this Memorial Day weekend following the warmer preceding weekend that had drawn so many people from their homes.
"Unfortunately for those heading to the Shore, it appears the weather will remain unsettled through much of the weekend, as what's left of the storm system that soaked areas from Michigan to the Carolinas slowly moves offshore," AccuWeather Meteorologist Bill Deger said. "For those getting an early start, expect clouds and showers through much of Friday, with that chance lingering into Saturday. Even if no showers fall on Saturday, it will stay on the cloudy side."
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Conditions will improve slightly Sunday into Memorial Day Monday with some sun likely to return, according to Deger. However, temperatures will remain on the cool side for late-May standards. High temperatures are expected to generally be in the mid- to low 60s thanks to a wind off the ocean, but the temperature of the water will only be in the mid-50s.
Folks braving conditions to continue with a trip to the Jersey Shore will have to keep an eye out for a few weather hazards this weekend.
"Behind the storm, winds will pick up on Saturday night and stay quite gusty through Sunday and Sunday night, so surf will likely be rough on Sunday, with a fairly high risk of rip currents," Deger said.
The empty boardwalk at Ocean City, New Jersey, on May 19, 2020. (Miranda Thompson)
Neither Radel nor Burke plan on going to the beach on Memorial Day weekend, and Radel and Thompson have reconsidered daily habits due to the virus. Radel says he sees the virtue of bowing becoming a thing in place of handshakes. Thompson, an art teacher, recognizes her classroom space and supplies will have to be reimagined. She also no longer feels comfortable going on a cruise or on an airplane until there's a vaccine. Burke said he does not plan on making any changes.
All three ache for a return to normalcy.
"I look forward to giving a lot of hugs when this is over," Radel said. "I want to see my friends, I want to go out to a restaurant when restaurants reopen, I want to eat a meal that I haven't cooked, I want to order a drink, and I want to spend time with my friends and more time with my son."
Burke also stressed a desire to dine out and have more recreational options.
"I would like to be able to go out and eat at a restaurant, I would like to be able to go to small individually owned businesses," Burke said. "It's been difficult to come up with recreational activities because everything's closed."
As a teacher, Thompson's worry extends to her students and their families. Some have lost family to the virus while others are food and housing insecure. She has had to keep in touch with them over text and email.
"I look forward to again that sense of normalcy, seeing my friends, seeing my students, being back together," Thompson said. "A lot of my kids have said ... I miss giving you a high-five or a hug. And I think that's what a lot of us miss," she continued. "Just those moments that we took for granted for so long."
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