Point Pleasant Beach Allows Some Hotel Use On Memorial Day Wkd.

POINT PLEASANT — Point Pleasant Beach is allowing hotels to operate on Memorial Day weekend.

Mayor Paul Kanitra said the town is allowing hotels to operate at 25 percent capacity for Memorial Day weekend.

"Just enough so visitors can fit within their parking lots and not on the streets," Kanitra said.

The town is moving forward after proclaiming success with its beach reopening this past weekend.

"Couldn’t have gone better this weekend," Kanitra said.

The Maryland Avenue beach reopened and beach associations are allowed to restart. The boardwalk remains closed and Jenkinson's has not reopened.

Kanitra has said he's targeting early to mid-June to reopen the boardwalk.

"I think once we get past Memorial Day weekend, we’re going to be in a really good position," he said.

Gov. Phil Murphy has been announcing reopening dates as cases continue to declined. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

Here are the latest local updates from Point Pleasant Boro and Point Pleasant Beach:

CASES:

• Point Pleasant Boro had 218 cases and 19 deaths as of Wednesday, May 20, and Point Pleasant Beach had 35 cases and 5 deaths, according to the Ocean County Health Department.
• The first death among 55 cases of the coronavirus was reported in a Point Pleasant Boro nursing home, according to statistics released by the state Department of Health. Read more: 1st Coronavirus Death Report At Point Pleasant Boro Nursing Home
• The Ocean County Health Department is now listing the number of deaths from the coronavirus in Point Pleasant Boro and Point Pleasant Beach. Read more: Coronavirus Fatalities Now Listed For Point Pleasant Boro, Beach
  

BEACHES:

• Point Pleasant Beach reopened some beaches on Friday, May 15. Jenkinson's was not ready to reopen since the boardwalk was not yet open. Read more: Point Pleasant Beach To Begin Reopening Beaches On Friday
• Point Pleasant Beach announced that parking east of the railroad tracks will essentially be for residents only for the time being. Read more: Point Pleasant Beach Defends Residents-Only Parking Near Beaches
• Point Pleasant Beach closed its boardwalk in late March after warning people not to congregate in the area. Read more: Point Pleasant Beach Closes Boardwalk Due To Coronavirus Crisis

VIOLATIONS:

• The owner of a Point Boro e-cigarette shop was charged with breaking the stay-at-home order in the coronavirus outbreak, police said. Read more: Point Pleasant Boro 'E. Cig' Shop Broke Coronavirus Order: Police
• A Point Pleasant Beach woman was charged with yelling "pigs! oink, oink!" at cops and blowing on EMTs, saying she had the coronavirus. Read more: Point Beach Woman Yells Coronavirus, 'Pigs! Oink!' At Police: PD
• A woman in Point Pleasant Boro was arrested after she implied she has the coronavirus – and even repeated the words "corona" and "virus" when she attacked officers, police said. Read more: Woman Attacks Point Pleasant Boro Cops, Saying 'Coronavirus:' PD
• A Point Pleasant Beach man was charged with the theft of N95 respirator masks from a business, prosecutors said. Read more: Point Pleasant Beach Man Charged With Theft Of Respirator Masks
• Two people were charged for having a home rental in Point Beach that violated local restrictions amid the coronavirus crisis. Read more: 2 Charged For Point Pleasant Beach Home Rental Amid Coronavirus
• A business owner was charged with breaking New Jersey's coronavirus outbreak restrictions because she allowed workouts at her gym, police said. Read more: Gym Workouts In Point Pleasant Boro Broke Coronavirus Order: Cops
• A 37-year-old resident was charged with saying, "Do you want corona? Do you want to die?" to a woman at Sundaes ice cream, according to the Office of Attorney General. Read more: Woman Told 'Do You Want Corona?' Outside Point Boro Ice Cream: AG

PERSONAL STORIES:

• A Point Pleasant Beach woman talked to The Asbury Park Press about the anguish she went through when her son, 3, contracted the virus. Read more: Point Beach Mom's Reported Coronavirus Scare With 3-Year-Old Son

TRIBUTES:

• The Bay Head Fire Co. announced the passing of firefighter Dave Clark, who died following a long and tough battle with the COVID-19 virus. Read more: Bay Head Firefighter Dies From Coronavirus

SCHOOLS:

• Both Point Pleasant Boro and Point Pleasant Beach schools say they are planning virtual graduations. Here's what's planned. Read more: Virtual Graduations In Point Pleasant Boro, Point Pleasant Beach
• All schools in Point Pleasant Boro and Point Pleasant Beach will remain closed through the academic year. Read more: New Jersey Schools Closed For Rest Of Academic Year: Gov. Murphy

ASSISTANCE:

• A Point Pleasant woman has started a Facebook page to make sure the Jersey Shore gets the help it needs amid the outbreak. Read more: Point Pleasant Woman's 'COVID19 Response' Facebook Provides Help

GOVERNMENT ACTION AND FINANCES:

• Point Pleasant Boro has agreed to follow Gov. Phil Murphy's lead and has extended the grace period for paying property taxes. Read more: Point Pleasant Boro Agrees To Grace Period For Property Taxes
• Point Pleasant Beach doesn't expect that the coronavirus will have a major impact on the budget just yet – and the town should be able to avoid furloughs. Read more: No Furloughs Planned In Point Pleasant Beach
• Point Pleasant Boro schools warned about a potential "drop off" in revenues as the region continues to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. Read more: Point Pleasant Boro Warns: Budget May Get Worse Amid Coronavirus

BUSINESSES:

• Frye Brewing has a new product that even firefighters say is what Point Pleasant needs right now during the crisis. Read more: Frye Brewing's 'Home Flight Kit' Is What Point Pleasant Needs
• Morgan Taylor, a waitress at The Ark, got the "most amazing breath of fresh air" before non-essential businesses were shut. Read more: As Point Pleasant Beach Businesses Shut, A 'Breath Of Fresh Air'
• Stephanie "Petey" Cucci, the owner of PETEY'S US SUBS in Point Pleasant Boro, is doing what she calls a ST. MARY'S SUB. Her sister, Cate, says "wonderful and kind people" have been donating to a fund that allows people who can't afford a meal to get a half sub, a drink and chips. Read more: Petey's In Point Pleasant Is Helping The Hungry Amid Coronavirus
• The Point Pleasant area has participated in #thefrontstepschallenge with EVN FLO photography by Tim McGeough. Tim took pictures of people on their front porch, each of them projecting some semblance of normaliy in a very abnormal world. Read more: See The Photos In Point Pleasant Boro That Could Help Feed People

HOSPITALS AND TESTING:

• Hackensack Meridian offers COVID19 testing at its nine urgent care centers in Monmouth and Ocean counties.
• Immediate care of Marlboro is offering a drive-thru COVID19 test in the Marlboro Medical Arts site located at 479 Rt 520 in Marlboro. Testing is by appointment only at (855) 925-5467 ext 0.
• The PNC Bank Arts Center is a regional FEMA drive-thru test location and is open for testing every other day from 8 a.m. to 4pm for up to 500 persons per day. Click here for PNC Arts Test Center info & schedule.
• On every Saturday, the PNC Bank Arts Center site will be dedicated to symptomatic health care workers and first responders -- police, fire, and EMS -- with valid credentials only. The general public will not be able to access this site on Saturdays.
• Central Jersey Urgent Care is testing up to 80 patients daily at Eatontown, Howell and Marlboro.

OTHER CANCELLATIONS/CLOSURES

• Murphy issued a state-at-home order early in March. Read more: Gov. Murphy Announces NJ 'Stay-At-Home' Order Due To Coronavirus
• Point Pleasant Beach announced that parking east of the railroad tracks will essentially be for residents only for the time being. Read more: Point Pleasant Beach Defends Residents-Only Parking Near Beaches
• Point Pleasant Beach closed its boardwalk in late March after warning people not to congregate in the area. Read more: Point Pleasant Beach Closes Boardwalk Due To Coronavirus Crisis
• All recreation and pre-school programs were closed in Point Pleasant Boro because of the coronavirus outbreak. Read more: Point Pleasant Boro Closes All Recreation Programs, Pre-School

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

How It Spreads

The virus that causes COVID-19 is spreading from person-to-person. Someone who is actively sick with COVID-19 can spread the illness to others. That is why CDC recommends that these patients be isolated either in the hospital or at home (depending on how sick they are) until they are better and no longer pose a risk of infecting others.

There is currently no vaccine for COVID-19.

While the best way to prevent illness is to avoid virus exposure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention always recommends taking preventive actions to contain the spread of viruses. This includes:

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipes.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.