By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
Starting Friday morning, you can have breakfast inside a restaurant and then hit a movie.
Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday afternoon, Aug. 31, that he was signing an executive order allowing indoor dining in restaurants to resume as of 6 a.m. Friday and reopening movie theaters.
“I’m proud that our restaurants will be able to return to some level of indoor service for the Labor Day weekend,” he said at his COVID-19 press conference.
The announcement was not met with enthusiasm locally.
“Too little, too late,” Boardwalk Merchants Association President Wes Kazmarck said Monday afternoon. “Governor Murphy’s announcement is a slap in the face to our members that were devastated all summer by his draconian one-size-fits-all solution to restaurants. Allowing boardwalk restaurants – which are largely open to the outside – to open at the same capacity as fully indoor restaurants the day before our summer season ends is a cruel joke.”
At the Jersey shore, the Labor Day weekend signals the end of the busy summer tourist season when the population booms and the local economies do much of their business for the entire year. Reopening Friday means restaurants lost their ability to serve patrons inside for all but a few days of the summer season.
The resumption of indoor dining, Murphy said, “will come with strong limits on capacities as well as the requirements that will be strictly enforced” because the pandemic isn’t over and the state’s goal “is to ensure this step is done properly to prevent the kind of spikes we saw in other states that allowed their restaurants to reopen too fully and too quickly.”
Last week, the governor announced that gyms and other indoor entertainment centers would be open as of Sept. 1, also with restrictions.
Restaurants, gyms and movie theaters have been closed since mid-March when the governor issued stay-at-home orders and locked down a majority of businesses that were not deemed essential, and he closed schools for in-person attendance. Restrictions started being eased around Memorial Day weekend on small retailers, but gyms and indoor seating at restaurants were prohibited until this week. The governor and state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli had said indoor activities were blamed for spiking COVID-19 rates because of a lack of proper ventilation and had been steadfast in refusing to allow restaurants and gyms to reopen until now in spite of intense lobbying and complaints from both industries that have lost almost a half a year of business.
The reopening of restaurants and gyms comes with “a long list” of restrictions and recommendations.
For restaurants, they include:
– 25 percent capacity;
– parties capped at eight people, except for immediate families;
– tables must be at least 6 feet apart;
– staff must wear masks at all times;
– diners must wear masks when they are not in their seats;
– customers who refuse to wear masks will not be seated indoors; and
– food and beverages can be consumed only while seated.
“We are asking that diners keep their masks on while they are waiting for their food” and “walking around with a drink will not be tolerated,” Murphy said.
“In other words if you’re seated, you can’t go to the bar to get another drink,” he added. “You must allow your server to place the orders for you.”
Diners will be allowed to eat at the bars in restaurants so long as they maintain proper social distancing. He said a couple could be seated together at a bar, but there couldn’t be anyone within 6 feet on either side of them. There also is a limit of four individuals in a group seated at the bar.
To maintain proper ventilation, windows must be open for air flow into the dining areas and air conditioning units must be turned on to allow outdoor air into the indoor dining areas – with the least amount of recirculated indoor air possible.
These, he said, are just the main restrictions and recommendations.
The governor said the state has been working to allow restaurants to reopen since it called off a planned July reopening over concerns of spiking coronavirus cases.
He said they decided not to announce a reopening until “they had the confidence” to move forward safely.
Murphy noted he was glad restaurants would be able to welcome patrons inside for the long holiday weekend.
Murphy thanked restaurant owners “who thought creatively” and found ways to serve their diners in other ways, including varied takes on outdoor seating, which he said would continue because many people may still prefer to eat outside.
“I know it has been hard on many of you. The restaurant industry is not only a huge employer in our state but New Jersey is home to many noted dining establishments that draw patrons from all over the country,” he said.
The governor added that he hopes this new executive order leads to future announcements of expanded capacity in restaurants and not a step backward.
“We will be watching very closely and will not tolerate restaurant managers or diners who try to work around these rules.”
Movie theaters, performance venues, other gatherings
The governor said movie theaters and other indoor performance venues also would be allowed to reopen Friday, Sept. 4, with restrictions including a 25 percent capacity or maximum of 150 patrons in a theater, whichever is less. Social distancing and masks will be required (except when munching on snacks).
A multiplex with four screens would each be allowed to have the 25 percent or 150-patron limit.
Groups who purchase tickets together will be allowed to sit together, but must be 6 feet away from other patrons.
The governor is also increasing the indoor gathering limits to 25 percent capacity or 150 individuals to religious services, weddings, funerals, memorial services and political activities.
The current cap on indoor gatherings has been 100 people.
“In the final analysis, we’re able to take all these steps today through the hard work the millions of you have done pushing down our (COVID-19) positivity rate, our rate of transmission and all the other health metrics we follow to where we are comfortable in taking these steps,” Murphy said. That said, the governor added, citizens should not let up their vigilance during the pandemic.
“Let us enjoy eating indoors again, or going to a movie, or celebrating with our friends safely and responsibly.”
COVID-19’s toll
As of Monday, Aug. 31, the state Health Department reported 191,960 New Jersey residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 and 14,165 have died from complications of the coronavirus, with another 1,780 considered “probable” COVID-19 deaths.
The death toll includes 88 residents of Cape May County and 245 residents of Atlantic County.
The daily positivity rate is at 1.41 percent and the transmission rate is below 1 at 0.90 percent. There remain 484 patients in the hospital with suspected COVID-19.