SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ – According to the Asbury Park Press, the small borough of Seaside Heights is demanding a $2 billion bailout to save summer, but the borough so far, has yet to be forced by the governor, or anyone else to close its beach and boardwalk.
That decision alone was made by the borough council. If Seaside Heights reopened its boardwalk and enforced smart social distancing, allowing pizzerias and sausage stands to open for pick up service, many of that town’s problems would go away.
Why is it that we can sit in long lines in crowded shopping centers, but walking six to ten or more feet apart on a boardwalk or beach on a sunny day is bad?
They can sell beach badges, people would buy them now.
They can provide some of their eateries a chance to earn revenue. It could be the busiest April on record that Seaside might have ever seen, but the town chose to shut down. The state never forced them. They would be earning parking revenue too. If we can punch a keypad at the supermarket, why not punch a keypad at a parking meter?
“I still have hope we have a summer,” Mayor Anthony Vaz said in the article. “We talked about beaches; we talked about controlling social distances. I believe we can control social distancing on the beach, but I’m not sure about the boardwalk.”
If you’re going to open the beaches with social distancing later, why not just do it now? The coronvirus isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It would be up to people to be smart and social distance themselves, but it would also be up to the town to ensure it’s being done also.
While people are out of work, New Jersey towns need to get to the back of the line, because there’s millions of New Jersey residents who need a bailout before a town that voluntarily shut itself down and told everyone else to keep out.
Signed, Toms River Resident
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