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By now many in the 1.4 square mile community and beyond have learned City officials in Asbury Park declared a State of Emergency Sunday afternoon as a proactive measure to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus – Covid 19 strain. 

In essence, all venues with or without liquor licenses with 75+ capacity must close its doors by 10 pm until further notice, city facilities will be closed to the public – including the Asbury Park Library, Senior Center, Municipal Court, City Hall, and DPW. City Hall will continue to operate and be responsive to resident needs via online communication and all essential services, such as trash pickup, will continue, Quinn said. 

The State of Emergency was made by Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Garrett Giberson Jr, with Mayor John Moor, Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, and Interim City Manager Donna Vieiro adding details to the restrictions. 

“My plea to bars and restaurants is that you better not pack them in,” Quinn said. “If there is no social distancing going on, this is going to change from 10 [pm].” 

Vieiro said the Municipal Transportation Center was closed two days ago.

Moor said the Social Service department will have a small office in the Municipal lobby and that measures are being taken to help feed the 20 to 25 Senior Center members. He also said parking enforcement will remain in place.

As for the shared scooter program, Spin officials said they have increased cleaning and disinfecting protocols and that all employees are required to wear gloves when handling scooters. 

And while no public curfew will be inforced at this time, Moor said they will vet circumstances on a daily basis. 

“I’m not being Mr. Doom and Gloom but it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Moor said.

Democratic Senator Vin Gopal said via a social media post, “Outstanding City Leadership – hope other towns follow ASAP.”

Across the city, venues had already begun to implement safety precautions: 

At Toast, owner Amy Russo implemented a 50 percent capacity limit and said the following Sunday afternoon via social media: 

“As of now, we at Toast feel the responsible thing to do for ourselves and our community is to make some decisions ahead of being told what to do. On Monday, March 16, we will again operate at 50 % capacity. We will be closed Tuesday. When we reopen on Wednesday we will not be having any dine-in available. Pick up at window/doors and deliveries only. For now please call the restaurant for your order. We are working on an online ordering option and will keep you informed [via Facebook page].”

Hotelier David Bowd closed Asbury Lanes and limited The Asbury hotel’s lobby capacity at 125; more than half of the governor’s recommendation. 

“We have been operating with added safety and sanitation protocols,” Bowd said. “Our staff was retrained and we’ve been very cautious over the last week.”

Watermark owner Russell Lewis was among the first to take proactive steps. In a Facebook post, Lewis said: 

“Effective immediately – and until further notice – Watermark will not be open for business until it’s safe for our staff and customers to be in close proximity with one another. We encourage everyone to follow the CDC recommendations of social distancing. Be safe. Take care of yourselves and each other. See you on the other side.”

The Asbury Park School District also announced that it will close schools at 12:30 pm Monday and will transition to a remote learning model via take-home packets and the lending of Chromebooks for online tutorials. Grab and Go breakfast, lunch and snack packets will be distributed 10 am to 1 pm at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Middle School for those 18 years old and younger. 

Asbury Park Democratic Chairman Joe Grillo said a group of community members, led by Paranormal Books & Curiosities owner Kathy Kelly, are in the midst of developing Asbury Park Dinner Table, a nonprofit venture to help get dinner packets to the most vulnerable in the community. Stay tuned for details…

Click here to see the City’s media release. 

For information on what the City of Asbury Park is doing to prepare for an outbreak in our community, visit cityofasburypark.com/covidpreparations 

For the most up-to-date information on Coronavirus Disease 2019 [COVID-19] use these resources (links are available on cityofasburypark.com):

—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website: cdc.gov

—NJ Department of Health website: nj.gov/health/cd/topics/ncov.shtml

—NJ Department of Health 24-Hour Free Public Hotline: 1-800-222-1222.

To contact the City of Asbury Park, call 732-775-2100 or visit cityofasburypark.com/reportaconcern

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