We need this at the Jersey shore
Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement Monday was overdue, but we’re glad we didn’t have to wait any longer to hear it.
He said effective May 19, the state would greatly ease the restrictions that have suffocated so many businesses during the pandemic.
The Jersey shore badly needed to hear this news.
Many residents and business owners believed safety and caution were justified to protect citizens from the coronvirus that has claimed more than 580,000 lives across the nation, including more than 22,000 here in New Jersey.
However, the same restrictions that were protecting the populace were decimating jobs and businesses. Safety was critical, but some of the restrictions were too burdensome and not equally applied – such as limiting small businesses while big corporate businesses were allowed to operate almost unfettered.
The governor has spent the entire pandemic saying the metrics of COVID-19 – including rates of transmission, hospital beds filled and ventilators in use – would determine how long restrictions would stay in place.
Some of those restrictions eased in time for last year’s July Fourth weekend, but others have continued to limit everything from small retailers to restaurants to the kind of community events that attract hundreds if not thousands of people to our Jersey shore communities each summer, not to mention the off-season.
By all accounts, this is expected to be a booming summer at the shore. Real estate agencies are talking about record bookings, families are eager to shed the confines of their homes and the limits in their schools.
We have learned Cape May County’s job force, which was hammered by the pandemic, has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels (see story), actually making it harder for businesses to find employees this season. That isn’t great news for places seeking an adequate workforce, but it definitely beats so many of our friends and neighbors being out of work.
With all the people expected to arrive starting with the unofficial kickoff to summer – the Memorial Day weekend – and hopefully continue enjoying the shore long into the fall, we are thankful the governor said so much of life would go back to normal effective May 19 because those health metrics have improved greatly – in large part owed to the great response in vaccination.
Yes, there will still be safety protocols such as masking and social distancing, but that will be worth it if businesses can begin to operate as normally as possible. And we can enjoy the fun parts of summer – the fireworks, parades and other events.
We hope the May 19 reopening moves augur well for the continued improving health of New Jersey’s residents and its business community.
