Another Big NJ Reopen Day: Here's What You Can Do Now Amid COVID
NEW JERSEY – Time to get a haircut, jump in a pool or hit a baseball or golf ball.
Indeed, lines were forming outside barber shops as Monday promises to be yet another big reopening day in New Jersey since Gov. Phil Murphy issued a stay-at-home order and closed nonessential businesses on March 21st (see the list of what you can and can't do below).
And the reopenings come as Murphy announced more reopenings on Monday, including indoor dining and casinos. Read more: NJ Announces More Reopenings Amid COVID: Indoor Dining, Casinos
As part of New Jersey's "stage-two" reopening, a long list of activities are allowed to resume on Monday, largely because of New Jersey's progress in containing the coronavirus and slowing the growth rate of the disease.
Indeed, New Jersey and New York now have the lowest growth rates in the nation.
New Jersey has also seen dramatic drop in new daily coronavirus cases since businesses were either shut or restricted to pickup and delivery services, sliding from a high of 4,427 on April 23 to 359 on Monday. Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know
And more businesses will be allowed to resume within the next two weeks, such as summer camps, outdoor graduations and indoor malls, and even more reopenings are planned after that. Read more: Gov. Murphy: 'Hard Dates' In NJ Coronavirus Reopening Blueprint
Here's what was allowed to resume on Monday (specific rules for how some businesses and activities may operate amid the coronavirus outbreak are below):
Municipal and private-club swimming pools can reopen on June 22nd
Non-contact organized sports activities can restart on June 22nd
Beauty salons can reopen on June 22nd
Barber shops can reopen on June 22nd
Cosmetology shops can reopen on June 22nd
Day and medical spas (not steam rooms, saunas or shared bathing facilities) can open on June 22nd
Electrology facilities can reopen on June 22nd
Hair braiding shops can reopen on June 22nd
Massage parlors can reopen on June 22nd
Nail salons can reopen on June 22nd
Tanning salons can reopen on June 22nd
Tattoo parlors can reopen on June 22nd
The limit on outdoor gatherings will rise to 250 on June 22nd
Indoor gatherings were limited to 25 percent capacity of the rooms in which they will take place, with a maximum of 100 persons, as of June 22nd
Golf and tennis can resume competitions on June 22nd
Baseball, softball, soccer and outdoor basketball can resume on June 22nd, but they will be limited to non-contact drills and practices.
Non-contact football drills can resume on June 22nd
As some towns have risen to the challenge, a number of businesses are still getting antsy about waiting to reopen some facets of the economy that Murphy hasn't addressed: namely, indoor dining and gyms.
Indeed, Asbury Park even challenged Murphy by planning to reopen indoor dining on Monday before they were stopped by a court order. Read more: Asbury Park Reverses Reopen Plan After Gov. Murphy's Court Order
Here is what you'll be able to do do – or not do – as a number of businesses and activities resume:
For getting a haircut, barbers and hair salons must:
Install physical barriers, if feasible, to minimize client contact with staff in the reception area.
Utilize floor markers (such as signs or tape) to designate 6-foot distances in common areas of the premises, including the reception and/or waiting area, client service stations, bathrooms, and employee break rooms.
Seating in the reception and/or waiting area shall be rearranged or removed to ensure that people are seated at least 6 feet apart.
Reconfigure the premises to ensure that staff-client pairs maintain at least 6 feet distance between any other staff-client pairs at all times, unless separated in private closed-rooms or by physical barriers.
Utilize pre-payment or remote, contactless payment options, when possible.
If the exchange of cash is unavoidable, cash should be placed on the counter and not exchanged hand-to-hand.
Staff accepting cash shall wipe the counter between each transaction and wash their hands with soap or utilize hand sanitizer after each transaction.
Establish an isolated area for delivery of supplies and materials.
Clean all surfaces at the premises with hot soapy water or cleaning wipes prior to reopening and before disinfecting.
Hard non-porous surfaces, such as glass, metal, and plastic, as well as all tools should be disinfected even if they were cleaned before the premises was closed.
Remove items that are intended to be used by multiple people, such as magazines/books/newspapers or other publications.
Install hand sanitizers for use by clients and staff.
Decline to provide services to any clients without a pre-scheduled appointment that has been arranged by telephone, text messaging, or online.
No walk-ins shall be permitted.
Screen no more than 24 hours prior to the appointment all clients scheduled for appointments.
The screening must be done via a telephonic or online consultation or questionnaire that includes the screening questions.
Clients are required to submit to a no-contact forehead temperature check.
Clients must wear, at a minimum, a cloth face covering at all times, except where doing so would inhibit the person's health or the person is under 2 years of age.
Space appointments to allow adequate time for cleaning and disinfecting all nonporous surfaces.
Those with a temperature exceeding 100.4 degrees, along with anyone accompanying them, should be denied entry.
Stagger work hours of staff or adjust operating hours to limit the number of people on the premises at any given time, and accommodate social distancing.
Require all staff immediately prior to the initial re-entry after the reopening of the premises to respond to screening questions.
Require premises owners, managers, staff, clients, and anyone else in the premises to wear, at minimum, a cloth face covering at all times before, during, and after performing services.
Provide clients with, at minimum, cloth face coverings, if they arrive for an appointment without a face covering, or decline to provide services.
Direct staff to wear gloves when required to handle dirty linens or laundry.
Allow for break time for repeated hand washing between clients throughout the day.
Staff must maintain an appointment book with contact information regarding clients served, as well as a daily log of staff, and submit such information if requested to the Department of Health or the local board of health.
Notify the local health department immediately if it is suspected that any person who is known to have contracted COVID-19 was on the premises while COVID-19 positive, and cooperate with contact tracing efforts.
For sports, organizers must:
Identify adult staff members or volunteers to help remind coaches, players and staff of social distancing. Use of signs, tapes or physical barriers can be used to assist with guiding social distancing requirements.
Within the program, consider creating consistent groups of the same staff, volunteers, and athletes and avoid mixing between groups.
Participants shall remain 6 feet apart from one another whenever impossible. This applies to athletes, coaching staff, parents/guardians and other spectators.
Coaching staff and parents/guardians should wear cloth face coverings.
Athletes are also encouraged to wear cloth or disposable face coverings when not engaging in vigorous activity, such as when sitting on the bench, when interacting with an athletic trainer, etc.
Face coverings should not be worn by staff or athletes when engaging in high intensity aerobic or anaerobic workouts or while in the water, or where doing so would inhibit the individual’s health.
Create staggered schedules to limit contact between groups and/or players.
All staff should be educated on COVID-19 health and safety protocols prior to the resumption of athletic activities.
Educate athletes and coaching staff about when they should stay home and when they can return to activity.
Actively encourage sick staff, families and players to stay home.
Develop policies that encourage sick employees to stay at home without fear of reprisal, and ensure employees are aware of these policies.
Participants, including coaches, players and families, should stay home if they have tested positive for or are showing COVID-19 symptoms.
Participants, including coaches, players and families, who have recently had a close contact with a person with COVID-19 should also stay home and monitor their health.
Immediately separate coaches, staff, officials and athletes with COVID-19 symptoms at any sports activity. Participants who have had close contact with a person who has symptoms should be separated and sent home as well and follow CDC guidance for community-related exposure.
Establish procedures for safely transporting anyone who is sick to their home or to a health care facility.
All athletes, coaches and staff should bring their own water and drinks to practice activities.
Team water coolers for sharing through disposable cups should not be permitted.
Encourage athletes to use their own equipment to the extent possible.
Discourage sharing of equipment as much as possible.
If equipment is shared, coaching staff should be aware of the sanitation procedures for team equipment (balls, bats, etc.) and sufficient disinfecting wipes or similar products should be made available.
Consult CDC guidance for cleaning and disinfection.
Discourage use of locker rooms or facility showers. If facility showers need to be used, only allow shower and locker room use if there are partitions or signage in place to ensure that athletes maintain proper physical distancing of 6 feet.
Each facility that will be used for practices should ensure:
Signage is posted in highly visible locations with reminders regarding social distancing protocols, face covering requirements and good hygiene practices (e.g., hand hygiene, covering coughs).
Crowding is reduced and proper social distancing is established around entrances, exits, and other high-traffic areas of the facility.
Routine and frequent sanitization and disinfecting, particularly of high-touch surfaces in accordance with CDC recommendations, is practiced.
Occupancy is limited in restrooms that remain open to avoid overcrowding, maintain social distancing through signage and, where practicable, utilize attendants to monitor capacity.
Hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, soap and water, or other sanitizing materials is made readily available at entrances, exits, benches, dugouts, and any other area prone to gathering or high traffic.
On any given field or space, there must be sufficient space between designated groups to prevent any interaction between the groups.
Practice organizers must do the following:
Coaches, staff, visitors and athletes will be required to abide by the gatherings limitations in effect at the time of competition.
Athletes, coaches, staff and others participating in practice sessions must be screened, via temperature check and health questionnaire, at the beginning of each session.
Players, coaches, staff, and volunteers showing symptoms of COVID-19 shall not be permitted to participate.
If any participant develops symptoms of COVID-19 during the activity, they should promptly inform organizers and must be removed from the activity and instructed to return home.
Practice activities must be limited to those that do not involve person-to-person contact between athletes and/or coaching staff. For example, focus on individual skill-building activities.
Organizers must ensure that athletes and coaches adhere to social distancing while not actively involved in practice activities (on the bench, in the dugout, etc.). Consider assigning coaching staff to monitor sideline social distancing.
If any equipment is provided by the operator, operators must minimize equipment sharing and clean and disinfect shared equipment at the end of a practice session.
Do not permit athletes to share food, beverages, water bottles, towels, pinnies, gloves, helmets or any other equipment or materials that is involved in direct bodily contact.
Organizers should divide larger teams into smaller groups and stagger practices at different times or across different days.
Organizers must limit any nonessential visitors, spectators, staff, volunteers, vendors, members of the media and activities involving external groups or organizations as much as possible.
Visitors and spectators should wear face coverings at all times, unless doing so would inhibit the visitor's or spectator's health or they are under the age of 2.
Operators are encouraged to mark off spectator/chaperone viewing sites to allow for social distancing. Visitors showing symptoms of COVID-19 shall not be permitted to attend.
Organizers must restrict spitting, handshakes, high-fives, team huddles, and any other close-contacting activities.
If participating in or organizing a competition:
Coaches, staff, visitors and athletes will be required to abide by the gatherings limitations in effect at the time of competition. It is anticipated that the permissible number will increase to 250 on June 22 and 500 people on July 3 if the downward trends in the state’s COVID-19 outbreak continues.
Concession stands should meet the requirements for outdoor dining.
Consider social distancing requirements when scheduling contests and events.
Social distancing will need to be maintained on buses/vans. Thus, multiple buses/vans and/or parent/guardian transportation will likely be required.
Games should be scheduled at intervals that allow for proper sanitation of facilities and equipment following each game.
Pools can reopen as long as:
Capacity is reduced to 50 percent
Staff and patrons must safely distance
Signs and makings should denote 6 feet of space between people
Face coverings are recommended, but not in the pool
Pools should stagger access points for entry and exits
Reservations are requested
Guests should sign-in to help with contact tracing
Occupancy in restrooms should be limited
Foot coverings much be worn in restrooms and shower areas
Staff should be screened for fever and COVID-19 symptoms
Gloves should be worn by staff
Disinfection should happen frequently
Pool toys shouldn't be permitted
Meanwhile, a number of communities have still found it difficult to adjust to the new set of rules for outdoor dining and indoor retail, which also includes: wearing masks; staying 6 feet apart; erecting physical barriers; and other measures.
Creating space for outdoor dining has been perhaps the biggest challenge. Some communities, such as Manasquan, plan to shut down some streets on some days so restaurants and bars can extend their service.
Here is what Patch communities are doing:
This article originally appeared on the Point Pleasant Patch
