At Gettysburg Lincoln hoped, “That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Paul Goldfinger photo in A.Park. ©
By Paul Goldfinger MD. Ocean Grove, NJ. May 10, 2020
It seems that those locals who control the tourist floodgates in Ocean Grove are engaging in magical thinking as they plan for the spring and summer season.. They seem to be overconfident that if they invite large numbers of people into town for mega-events that everything will be just fine as long as we maintain physical distancing (the new name for social distancing) and wear masks.
The state’s guidelines for beaches and boardwalks have not appeared yet, but we expect, as per the governor, that they will allow oceanfront activities to begin by Memorial Day, but with constraints, some of which will be impossible to keep a lid on.
Below is from Statnews.com:
“Keeping people away from each other means the virus can’t spread among them. It’s why experts are urging leaders in regions that do not think they have broad spread of the virus yet to implement physical distancing measures now — to save lives that could otherwise be lost a month from now.”
But for Ocean Grove, the best sort of mitigation would be to cancel all large crowded events this season. Perhaps the beach scene could work out with care, but there is a chance for chaos there this summer.
Even if the flea markets, large concerts, big church events, and parades are cancelled, the CMA has the sorts of activities than can result in viral transmission. For example, they plan church services at the boardwalk pavilion starting June 14. Those get tight and crowded. Below is a photo of such an event taken from their web site.
Source: CMA web site calendar of a June service.
And on June 12, 16, and 19 they have scheduled choir rehearsals in the GA. Have they heard about the choir rehearsal in Washington State where 40/60 present caught the Corona, and two died. And they were “careful” at that rehearsal.
www.cnn.com/2020/04/01/us/washington-choir-practice-coronavirus-deaths/index.html
On 6/20 the Giant Craft Show is scheduled.
And on June 24 they plan to have the crowded Neptune High School graduation in the GA. Bridgefest is June 25 and 6/26.
At their web site, they list 3 “COVID-19 precautions” including maintaining social distancing and wearing masks outdoors, but the third one is really original and surely will help: “If you are able please walk on the beach and leave the boardwalk for those that need it.” Really?
Statnews.com: “The effects will be seen weeks down the road,” said Caroline Buckee, an epidemiologist at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. For people who think that distancing measures are not needed in their communities yet, she said, “that is extremely naïve. Everywhere should be taking social distancing very seriously, because nowhere is immune to this virus.”
Blogfinger: This is a very precarious situation where accurate predictions are hard to come by. One thing is sure, and that is the risk of viral transmission goes up with population density and that takes us to the Ocean Grove situation with crowds of tourists coming into our residential community in season.
The CMA seems desperate to continue its religious programming which peaks with large numbers of visitors in the summer. They stand to lose a lot of income if the beachfront is stifled and if tourists fail to attend their events.
When they discuss epidemic concerns, which they almost never do publicly, they never mention the several thousand citizens who live here, and those numbers go up sharply in season, and that population will be at increased risk with the importation of huge numbers of strangers coming and going from our town.
The CMA web site says, “Our program schedule and services are being evaluated on a daily basis in regard to safety measures for the COVID-19 pandemic. This calendar is revised as changes occur.”
Well, what exactly are they monitoring on a daily basis? Do they read the numbers for the Grove? We can’t even find them. Do they have a crystal ball?
Illness follows infection by weeks, and infected visitors may seem perfectly healthy. That is why anyone who is exposed must self isolate for two weeks. What if someone at a church service gets sick? Will the CMA contact everyone who was there?
How will they decide what to do with their ambitious schedule? It sounds like delusional wishful thinking.
As for the Township, what does Neptune care? It is only the OG part of town that will be at risk from the tourist season. So they say nothing about those of us who will be exposed to large tourist infusions. What kind of representative government is this?
When those Neptuners look at this situation, if, in fact, they do, they must consider the risks and benefits–what’s best for the citizens? That’s their job! And we know the risks, but what do they think are the benefits of flooding our town with virus laden people this season?
Can we sue the Township Committee for malpractice? If a doctor causes someone to die, he can get sued, so how about indifferent elected officials? Is the Township lawyer up to this challenge? Will we the taxpayers wind up paying for lawyers to defend the Township from the people?
If you are a Grover, full or part time, run for cover when large crowds appear.
I walked along the boards and beach at about 3 pm on Mother’s Day and it was delightful. Most folks were donning masks, including me (as I keep one in my pocket) and social distancing. Ocean Grove leadership has made the smart move, the roads are safe and they have asked for people to cooperate. It is so refreshing to smell the sea air walk along the beautiful ocean in God’s Square Mile at The Jersey Shore! I am thankful Ocean Grove has provided a much needed respite in this time.
I keep thinking of that phrase “Don’t get cocky!”
People are still acting very cavalier. I guess it’s your choice if you want to wear rose colored glasses, but there is still a very dangerous virus still lurking around….today’s numbers in Monmouth County infected close to 7,000.
Yesterday, 5/10/2020, Mother’s Day, the Ocean Grove boardwalk and beach were packed like a regular summer weekend day. The majority of the people were visitors and were not wearing masks.
In town and away from the beach, it was quiet with very few people outside. The Asbury Park beach and boardwalk are closed with police presence.
In neighboring towns, people were lined up at ice cream shoppes, Dunkin Donuts, hot dogs, etc., some with masks but no one keeping a 6 foot distance.
Either we have social distancing and enforce it or we just get rid of it.
Forget about calling Governor Murphy – his voicemail is full! From the spin he puts on his daily press briefings, he is obviously out of touch and unaware.
Life In Ocean Grove “Spring/Summer 2020”
Get Up. Get Dressed. Hide in your House. Hide from Crowds that are forced upon you. Sneak out and lose your parking space to to buy groceries. Clean yourself off when you return. Sit and watch the invaders as they “charge” pass your house to the Beach. Virus not intact. Take your vacation watching TV. Go to bed. Then start it all over again. Resort? What a JOKE.
As an esteemed journalist in OG, I do not become an activist. I report the news and offer opinions. I remember standing next to Charles Layton, a former editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer, who was working with Blogfinger, when he was approached to sign a petition. He refused because journalists don’t wear that sort of hat.
So if you want a petition, then please exercise your rights and get one going. That would be wonderful.
As for the problems with compliance in wearing masks or social distancing, we can’t get a good result without the public’s cooperation. Neptune Township should see to that.
I suggest as a respected medical doctor would it be possible for you to float a petition to Neptune Township to protect us from this invasion of visitors to our town. much like a general would protect his or her troops.
My observation is that very few people intown are wearing masks or social distancing. What will the future bring?
I also would like to know if NYC acts much like a bellows lifting the virus into the atmosphere and if you are downwind, is it possible to be infected?
I don’t really understand what’s going on with the Camp Meeting Association, Neptune Township, and Monmouth County. The Governor said on March 21 that “…gatherings of individuals…are cancelled…” . As far as graduations are concerned, the governor just clarified yesterday that even drive-by “wave parades” to celebrate graduations are forbidden (although it’s unclear what the scientific basis for that order is).