By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY – Gov. Phil Murphy announced larger capacities at events in New Jersey starting May 10, a move that should allow all of Ocean City High School’s seniors to be able to attend prom together.
In a press conference Monday, the governor said effective May 10, indoor room capacities will increase to 50 percent, allowing up to 250 individuals. That means private catered events including weddings and school proms, political events, funerals, memorial services and performances. Dance floors will be allowed to open at private catered events with masking and social distancing in place, he noted.
Those indoor limits wouldn’t help with some proms with class sizes over 250 – such as Ocean City’s – but a new outdoor limit apparently will.
On May 10, the outdoor gathering limit will increase to 500 individuals, Murphy said.
Because OCHS officials are planning to have the prom outside at Carey Stadium, that should allow the more than 300 seniors to be together for their traditional event.
Last week, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Taylor and Ocean City Board of Education President Joseph Clark sent a letter to the governor imploring him to include proms and graduations with higher attendance limits.
“Weddings are currently exempt from outdoor capacity limits, yet proms and graduation ceremonies involve individuals who already interact daily in our schools,” they wrote. “There is no added risk in allowing these same students to assemble outdoors for events that will provide them with more traditional school experiences – and lasting memories – in a very untraditional school year. Putting prom and graduation on the calendar will also provide students across the state with a much-needed boost to their mental health.”
The letter from Taylor and Clark noted students, staff and members of the community had been working hard to allow a prom following COVID-19 safety strategies. They noted it wouldn’t be fair to allow only 200 of the 325 members of the senior class to attend their prom.
Murphy said also effective May 10, the outdoor capacity for large venues – now classified as having 1,000 or more fixed seats instead of 2,500 seats – would be 50 percent, with 6 feet of distance between seated groups.
He explained that would mean in a stadium that had 1,000 seats, there could be 500 people in the stands with another 500 on the field, something fitting for a graduation ceremony.
Murphy also applauded school districts that were planning on having outdoor events.
Outdoor carnivals and fairs can operate at 50 percent capacity, aligned with other amusement businesses, such as Six Flags, the governor said, but also should include Gillian’s Wonderland Pier and Playland’s Castaway Cove on the Ocean City boardwalk.
Murphy said the state hoped to increase limits again before Memorial Day – “perhaps substantially” – so businesses can look forward to that.
“We are doing this because we expect downward trend (in COVID-19 cases) to continue and want to give businesses a chance to plan ahead,” Murphy said, adding officials “fully expect” to have more announcements of expanding limits.
He said for the state to continue to open the state back up to business and raise the limits, residents should keep doing what they’re doing – getting vaccinated, practicing social distancing and wearing face coverings indoors and outdoors, if they’re within 6 feet of other people.