Wildwood reopens beaches, boardwalks under strict guidelines
WILDWOOD, N.J. - Wildwood beaches, boardwalks, parks and playgrounds will reopen on Friday, but it won’t be an overnight return to normal.
Instead, beachgoers will still be asked to continue following social distancing guidelines, and the types of activities and businesses that can resume are limited.
Police will continue to monitor for large gatherings to make sure visitors continuing following social distancing guidelines. The same will apply to beach towns like Avalon and Stone Harbor, who reopened their beaches on a more limited basis Friday.
Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron appeared on Good Day Philadelphia Thursday morning to talk more about what reopening those public spaces on Friday will look like and what a failure to follow them could mean.
BOARDWALK
Mayor Byron says the boardwalk will be open for folks who are looking to ride their bicycles or take a stroll or jog.
“Pretty much anything they’d like to do on the boardwalk is open, except none of the rides or the arcades are going to be open,” Bryon said.
Food establishments that can operate as take-out only will be the only business on the boardwalk that will be permitted to reopen.
North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello said the decision to reopen retail and restaurants will be up to Gov. Murphy.
Wildwood sign and sculpture, NJ, New Jersey, United States. (Photo by: MyLoupe/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
BEACHES
The beaches will be open for surfing and swimming, and onshore activities like jogging and running.
“At this point we are still not allowing folks to sit on a chair or blanket,” the mayor added.
Byron says the city is still waiting for further guidance from Governor Phil Murphy pertaining to allowing beachgoers to sit on beaches.
“We did have intentions on allowing for sitting on the beach, laying on the beach, things like that, and then we kind of got a nudge from (Gov. Murphy) telling us that we might want to rescind that for the time being,” Byron said.
RELATED COVERAGE:
Wildwood to reopen beaches, boardwalk, parks and playgrounds on May 8
Avalon, Stone Harbor to reopen beaches Friday for exercise, fishing
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CONTINUED REOPENING
Mayor Byron says the City of Wildwood is not “actively waving a red flag encouraging people to come, because of course, that would go against the governor’s orders.”
“Wildwood is everybody’s happy place. They go to Wildwood because they have fond memories, the sounds, the smells, the shore. So I don’t blame them for wanting to come down here. Even if it’s just a watered-down version of what they’re used to in the summertime, it’s still a hell of a lot better than sitting at home in your rowhouse in Philly,” Byron added.
On Wednesday, Gov. Murphy signed an executive order that extended New Jersey’s Emergency Declaration until June 5.
Short-term or transient rentals may resume effective Tuesday, May 26 in Wildwood and North Wildwood.
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