Looking Ahead: What To Expect In Barnegat and Manahawkin In 2021

BARNEGAT, NJ — As we put 2020 behind us, and look forward to what is hopefully a better new year, we here at Patch are sharing a few storylines to follow into 2021.

New School Board Members

New members secured open seats on the Barnegat and Stafford Boards of Education in the November election.

In the Barnegat Township Board of Education race, Alicia Bivins, Doreen Continanza and Sandra Churney won the three available positions. Bivins, Continanza and Churney will serve three-year terms.

Christopher Fritz, Deborah M. Lyons and Patricia Formica won the seats on the Stafford Township Board of Education. Fritz, Lyons and Formica will serve three-year terms.

Police Policy

Changes are coming to all police departments in 2021, and that includes Barnegat and Stafford police as the Garden State has made sweeping changes to the use-of-force policies.

New Jersey hadn't updated its statewide use-of-force policies for law enforcement in more than 20 years. But the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May added new urgency to reform the guidelines.

COVID-19 Vaccines are here

Expect COVID-19 vaccines in Barnegat and Stafford soon, including at your local ShopRite or doctor's office. New Jersey is currently putting together a plan on who will get the vaccine and when.

The state aims to vaccinate 70 percent of the population by the first six months of the year. There will be more than 200 community COVID vaccine sites across New Jersey; 134 of those sites will be getting the vaccine this week, State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli announced Monday.

There will be 21 county sites, plus the six vaccine "mega-sites," which are:

• Atlantic County: Atlantic City Convention Center
• Bergen County: Racetrack at Meadowlands, East Rutherford
• Burlington County: Moorestown Mall
• Gloucester County: Rowan College of South Jersey, Sewell
• Middlesex County: New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center, Edison
• Morris County: Rockaway Townsquare Mall

Currently, the state is vaccinating those in group 1A , which includes healthcare workers and long-term care residents and staff.

Business Bounceback

A retail apocalypse that was already hitting New Jersey hard accelerated in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

And as the pandemic dragged on, many were forced to close their doors entirely – even as Gov. Phil Murphy restarted the economy following the March shutdowns – while other businesses were able to weather the storm.

This coming year will be a time to support local businesses who survived as they look to recover from the hardships of 2020 and to lend a hand to any newcomers looking to stake a claim in the community.

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