Beach Haven closing down all parks and playgrounds amid Covid-19

The borough of Beach Haven along LBI has taken the precautionary steps of social distancing and keeping everyone safe and healthy by closing all parks and playgrounds effective immediately.

This decision comes in response to Governor Phil Murphy's directive of no business or organization hosting 50-people in one place at one time at any and all social functions and gatherings amid the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.

"We believe there are significant challenges for a municipal or county playground owner to implement the controls necessary to restrict the “gathering” to less than 50 people at any play area, especially the large, numerous, and remote parks and playgrounds that many of our clients have. If an owner of a public park or playground chooses not to close their recreational facilities and play areas, they need to be able to assure the public that their playgrounds will be closely monitored by their personnel, including sanitizing all safety surfaces several times daily, and limiting the gathering of people to less than 50 people at any one time. Due to the hurdles of fully documenting all the above actions, including enforcement, the Safety Director feels the most prudent course of risk control is to close parks and playgrounds."

The borough will be posting signs at the major points of entry to the park and playground, and a notice placed predominately on the park owner’s and Recreation Department’s websites.