May 15, 2020 - Office of Emergency Management Update

[fyi]

May 15, 2020 - Office of Emergency Management Update - COVID -19

Since last Friday’s update, Cranbury Township has been notified of (5) additional positive cases. These five additional cases bring Cranbury’s new overall total to thirty-eight (38).

Yesterday, Governor Murphy announced a new executive order EO143, which is effective next Friday, May 22. Below are some highlighted points to better help understand this new order:

• The municipalities, lake commissions, and private club associations or entities that oversee public and private beaches, boardwalks, lakes, and lakeshores (for ease, “beaches/lakes”) get to decide whether those beaches/lakes will stay open to the public or closed.

• If the applicable entity decides to keep the beach/lake open, there are specific areas at the beach/lake that must still be closed: Water Fountains; Picnic Areas; Playgrounds; Pavilions; Indoor recreational areas; Water play equipment; other ancillary buildings or facilities, including , but not limited to, visitor centers, interpretive centers, and interior historical sites; and amusement parks and arcades. That said, bathrooms, showering, and changing areas may be open.

• If the applicable entity decides to keep the beach/lake open to the public, then there are specific “minimum rules” they must have, although they may add additional restrictions. The following are the minimum rules the applicable entity must impose:

• Capacity restrictions to limit the total number of people on the beach (although they maintain discretion on what, exactly, this looks like).

• Require that members of the public practice social distancing while present at all public and private beaches, boardwalks, lakes, and lakeshores, including staying six feet apart whenever practicable, excluding immediate family members, caretakers, household members, or romantic partners (although they maintain discretion on how best to achieve this).

• Remove, tape-off, or otherwise block access to all benches and tables to discourage gatherings.

• Prohibit the tying together or “rafting up” of boats to discourage group gatherings.

• Prohibit all organized or contact activities or sports.

• Gatherings: Gatherings are prohibited. This means two things—(1) no special events at beaches (like festivals, concerts, fireworks, and movies); and (2) the same 10-person limit for group outings that applies to any other context will apply here. (To be clear, this does not prevent more than 10 people from being at the overall beach, just as it does not prevent more than 10 people from being at a park. But it does mean that that large, planned social group outings to beaches are prohibited.)

• Masks: The EO orders that employees/visitors at beaches/lakes should wear face coverings, but the EO does not mandate their use.

• To ensure consistency, State Parks will also now allow for (1) swimming, (2) picnicking, and (3) restroom access. This also means that, as applicable, county and municipal parks may allow for similar activities, but as before, county and municipal parks may impose additional restrictions when they so choose.

As restrictions continue to be lifted, we remind our residents to continue to practice social distancing, wear masks where social distancing cannot be maintained and continue common sense hygiene.

https://www.cranburytownship.org/home/news/may-15-2020-office-emergency-management-update-covid-19