TRENTON – State parks were closed just as the weather started getting warm. In a way, state representatives said, its success led to its closure.
Gov. Phil Murphy’s Executive Order 118 closed all state and county parks. Although locally, some towns and counties had already closed their parks. They had blocked off parking and wrapped playgrounds in police tape.
This caused ire among some members of the populace who were unable to do anything social and were using the parks as one of the only refuges where they could go to get out of the house.
“Temporarily closing the parks and forests during the surge of the COVID-19 outbreak was a very difficult, but necessary, decision,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe. “All of us at DEP understand the need for fresh air and exercise, and the desire of our New Jersey family to get outside when so many of us are feeling stressed and restless during this difficult time. That is why DEP continued to encourage public use of the state parks for as long as possible.”
Unfortunately, the weather started getting nice. Normally, that’s not a bad thing. But it was happening at the same time as COVID-19 numbers were increasing.
“The crowds at our parks became too large for our State Park Police to continue ensuring the social distancing that is so critical in our fight to prevent further spread of the virus,” she said. “Just prior to Governor Murphy’s issuance of Executive Order 118 closing state and county parks, state park visitation was at unusually high levels, with large numbers of visitors coming from out of state. Our law enforcement officers were forced to issue hundreds of verbal warnings to practice social distancing, disperse more than 160 gatherings of multiple people, and break up fights over parking spaces in overcrowded lots. Our officers even had to evict attendees at a wedding. This was creating unsafe conditions, for visitors as well as park personnel…”
The more that residents follow the rules of social distancing, the quicker this situation will be over, she said.
“While it pains us to see our parks closed, we must all heed the Governor’s urgent call for people to stay home as much as possible right now. This is helping New Jersey to flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases, and keeping all of our families safer,” she said. “As soon as it is safer, Executive Order 118 will be lifted and all of us at DEP will eagerly welcome you back to the state parks. In the meantime, please continue to follow the Governor’s direction to stay home, and take good care of yourselves and your families.”
