BELMAR

Belmar limits beach badge sales as COVID-19 transmission ticks upward again in NJ

Erik Larsen
Asbury Park Press

BELMAR - The borough’s Office of Emergency Management will restrict the sale of daily beach badges to 7,500 as COVID-19 cases tick upwards in New Jersey, the municipal government announced Friday on Facebook.

“This number will fluctuate to a lower number based on the amount of season beach badge holders on the beach as well as the tides on any given day,” Belmar’s OEM said in a statement.

The heat index in some parts of the state could reach as high as 111 degrees this weekend and crowds are expected to pack the Jersey Shore.

COVID-19 has begun spreading in New Jersey this week at a greater rate than it has in months even though all other key numbers from hospitalizations to deaths continue to be low, state officials said Friday.

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The rate of transmission increased to 1.11 on Friday, meaning that on average, one COVID-19 positive person passes the virus to slightly more than one person. The last time it was this high was in early April before a surge in hospitalizations.

In Manasquan, a recent outbreak of COVID-19 among staff in the municipal beach and recreation departments, prompted borough officials on Friday to restrict the sale of beach badges and cancel its summer recreation program, Borough Council President Mike Mangan said.

The sale of all beach badges in Manasquan — including daily, weekly and seasonal — is now limited to 1,000 people per day on Saturdays and Sundays.

In Spring Lake, two borough lifeguards have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to municipal officials.

One of the employees, a pool lifeguard, last worked on July 12. The borough learned of the other positive result — an ocean lifeguard — on Friday.

The two cases in Spring Lake are not linked, said Borough Administrator Bryan Dempsey.

Erik Larsen: 732-682-9359 or elarsen@gannettnj.com