Murphy: Donovan’s Reef Will ‘Shut’ If Crowded Lines Continue

SEA BRIGHT, NJ – Gov. Phil Murphy warned Jersey Shore partygoers that their favorite nightlife hotspots may shutter if patrons don’t comply with social distancing mandates.

At a Monday news conference, the governor called out customers at Donovan’s Reef in Sea Bright, D’Jais and 10th Ave. Burrito in Belmar and Jenkinson’s Pavilion in Point Pleasant Beach after reports of crowded lines to get into the popular bars surfaced over the weekend.

While Murphy says that the establishments "may have been trying to do the right thing once patrons got in," he still warned that customers weren’t taking the necessary precautions to protect those around them.

"Consider this your warning before you go out drinking this weekend,” Murphy said, specifically targeting younger New Jersey residents. Young people between the ages of 18 to 29 have made up an increasing percentage of COVID-19 cases in the state in recent months, to the frustration of health officials.

"If we have to shut places down to protect public health, then we will," he said.

Donovan’s Reef made headlines in late June when a string of videos depicting unmasked crowds at the beachside spot went viral. The owner of the bar, Christine Carducci, quickly made amends to pause live music, enforce a strict mask policy and reduce the capacity limit to 25 percent inside the facility. However, at a press briefing later that week, Murphy still cited the lack of social distancing at the Jersey Shore as one reason to give pause to the reopening of indoor dining in the state. Read more: 'Gross Negligence:' Sea Bright Bar Draws Criticism Over Crowding

Last weekend, photos of the line to get into Donovan’s Reef showed scores of young people – maskless and packed next to each other – waiting to enter the bar. Although Carducci told Patch that the establishment would no longer be entertaining a waitlist outside (instead promising to turn away customers once capacity had been reached), photos from the weekend show high-volume lines outside the Ocean Avenue location. Read more: Donovan's Reef To Reduce Capacity After Weekend Crowds

On the list of health and safety rules posted to its website, Donovan's Reef details that all customers must wear masks to gain entry or when waiting outside to enter the facility.

"Now we're saying, 'wear your own mask, or else you can't get in', and people are doing it. People are complying. We feel bad because a lot of people are being turned away and it's hard,” Carducci told Patch last month.

"Since opening in June, Donovan’s Reef has been working with local officials and Sea Bright police every single day to keep our patrons and community safe," Carducci wrote in a statement emailed to Patch on Tuesday.

"While we try not to let lines form, as we close when we are at reduced capacity, it sometimes takes a few minutes to clear the property. This weekend, we are working to safely change our entrance point to discourage large crowds from gathering outside our facility. And while we have mandated mask-wearing on our property and have done everything possible to update our facility to the highest health and safety standards, changing the behavior of patrons who are not on our property is a challenge that is beyond our control."

Thanks for reading! Have a news tip? Email nicole.rosenthal@patch.com. Want to write for Patch? Click here.
Have a news tip? Email nicole.rosenthal@patch.com.
Click here to get Patch email notifications, or get breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app, download here.

This article originally appeared on the Rumson-Fair Haven Patch