New Jersey will allow state parks and golf courses to reopen this weekend
Photo of Liberty State Park by Shinya Suzuki via Flickr cc
As of this Saturday, May 2, at sunrise, all state parks across New Jersey will reopen. Golf courses and county parks will also be allowed to reopen with a social distancing mandate in effect. Governor Phil Murphy made the announcement today after he closed all state and county parks on April 7. The governor has also talked about the possibility of reopening beaches in time for Memorial Day Weekend.
BREAKING: Today, I will sign an executive order to:
?️Reopen New Jersey’s state parks
⛳Allow golf courses and county parks to reopenThis order will take effect at sunrise on Saturday, May 2nd. Social distancing will continue to be mandated. pic.twitter.com/q1gIuUxoFg
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) April 29, 2020
“This will bring us in line, broadly speaking, with our neighboring states,” said Governor Murphy in his press conference this afternoon. Golf courses are open in New York, but no carts are allowed. Murphy added, “We cannot have everyone rush out to a park or a golf course. Social distancing will be strongly enforced.” To that end, all parks will have parking capped at 50 perfect of capacity. All playgrounds, pavilions, and restrooms will remain closed, and team sports, picnics, and other gatherings are still banned.
The governor is recommending that everyone where a face covering when social distancing is difficult to maintain. He said his administration will observe how things go this weekend and reserves the right to mandate residents wear face coverings.
Municipal parks and beaches have been able to make the decision on their own about whether or not to close, and it appears this is still the case. County governments can now make decisions on their parks.
As of today, New Jersey had 116,264 positive COVID cases, up 2,481 from yesterday. There have been 6,770 COVID deaths in the state, up 329 from yesterday.
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