NJ's Reopening Day On Thursday: What You Can Do Now Amid COVID-19

NEW JERSEY – Now you can slip on a bathing suit and slip down a slide - where it's a waterpark or even a playground. Or you can slip on a jacket and tie and drop $300 at the black jack table.

But you'll also have to slip on a mask.

As part of New Jersey's "stage-two" reopening, another long list of activities are allowed to resume on Thursday, 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 are now among the states with the lowest growth rates in the nation.

Perhaps the biggest reopenings: Casinos and amusement parks, where attendance will be limited to 50 percent capacity and attendees and employees must wear masks. Casinos will reopen at 25 percent capacity and require face coverings.

The reopening day will be bittersweet for many, however. Gov. Phil Murphy postponed the reopening of indoor dining, saying he didn't want to extend the resurgence of the virus that's been happening in other states.

Murphy issued an order this week that prohibits the consumption of food or beverages and smoking within the indoor premises of any retail, recreational, or entertainment business, including casinos, where masks are strictly required.

“Unfortunately, the spike in cases in numerous other states, compounded by instances of non-compliance in New Jersey, require us to hit pause on the restart of indoor dining indefinitely,” said Murphy. Read more: ‘Gross Negligence:' Sea Bright Bar Draws Criticism Over Crowding

Murphy also said Jersey City is taking legal actions against a bar and restaurant that has had "regular violations."

“I recognize that there are many establishments whose owners, managers and customers have been responsible, but we cannot move forward unless there is complete compliance," Murphy said. "Throughout every step of our restart, we have been clear that we would not hesitate to hit pause to safeguard public health, and this is one of those times.”

Despite the alleged rule-breaking, New Jersey 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 423 on Thursday. Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

And more parts of New Jersey will be allowed to resume within the next few days. The limit on outdoor gatherings will rise to 500 on Friday, and youth summer camps and in-person graduations can return on Monday. Read more: Gov. Murphy: 'Hard Dates' In NJ Coronavirus Reopening Blueprint

Here's what was allowed to resume on Thursday (specific rules for how some businesses and activities may operate amid the coronavirus outbreak are below):

• Playgrounds

• Amusement parks

• Water parks

• Casinos

• Racetracks

• Museums

• Aquariums

• Bowling alleys

• Shooting ranges

• Arcades (reopening at 25 percent of capacity)

• Libraries

• Gym and fitness centers will be allowed to open only for individualized training, and by appointment, involving one person and/or your family.

Murphy has presented a list of rules for reopening these businesses – and some considered them so restrictive that one Atlantic City casino decided to remain closed. Read more: Borgata Casino Won't Reopen Amid Indoor Dining Ban

Some of the rules that will likely impact casinos:

• Casinos must limit the number of patrons in any indoor premises to 25 percent of capacity, if applicable, at one time, excluding the recreational or entertainment business’s employees;

• Any retail, recreational, and entertainment business that is authorized to open its indoor premises to the public may only do so where it prohibits the consumption of food or beverages and smoking in those indoor premises.

• Smoking in the indoor areas of any retail, recreational, and/or entertainment business, including casinos, is prohibited;

• Nothing should prevent a person from engaging in conduct necessary for their health or safety, such as a person briefly removing their mask to drink water.

More rules impacting casinos can be found here: When And How Atlantic City Casinos Will Reopen

Gyms and fitness centers, movie theaters, performing arts centers, other concert venues, and indoor amusement and water parks must keep their indoor spaces closed, and dance floors at any business must be closed or cordoned off.

Gyms and fitness centers are, however, permitted to offer individualized indoor instruction by appointment only. The instructor is offering training to one person or a person's immediate family members, household members, caretakers or romantic partners.

Multiple instructions at the same gym or fitness center must take place in separate rooms. If there is no alternative, the room must be separated by a floor-to-ceiling barrier that complies with all fire code requirements.

“As we enter into the latter phases of stage two of our restart, we ask New Jerseyans to continue to answer the call of personal responsibility that has gotten us this far,” said Murphy. “We have been actively working up to this point for weeks and are confident that the health metrics we needed to see are in place.”

All recreational and entertainment businesses may open their entire premises, whether
indoor or outdoor, to the public, as long as they:

• Limit total capacity of any outdoor area to a number that ensures that all people can remain 6 feet apart, except for amusement parks, water parks, and pools, which are limited to 50 percent capacity, excluding the employees.

• Require that reservations, cancelations and prepayments be made via electronic or telephone reservation systems to limit physical interactions. Such policies shall, wherever possible, consider populations that do not have access to Internet service or credit cards;

• Install a physical barrier, such as a shield guard, between visitors and employees, or otherwise ensure 6 feet of distance between those people, except at the moment of payment;

• Limit the use of equipment rented or otherwise provided by the business to one person at a time, excluding immediate family members, caretakers, household members or romantic partners, and sanitize such equipment before and after use;

• Demarcate and post signs that denote 5 feet of spacing in all commonly used and other applicable areas or where people may form a line;

• Require infection control practices, such as regular hand-washing, coughing and sneezing etiquette, and proper tissue usage and disposal;

• Provide employees break time for repeated hand-washing throughout the workday;

• Provide sanitization materials, such as hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes, to staff and customers;

• Limit occupancy in restrooms that remain open to avoid overcrowding and maintain social distancing through signage and, where practicable, the utilization of attendants to monitor capacity;

• Require frequent sanitization of high-touch areas including;

• Routinely clean and disinfect all high-touch areas in accordance with state Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines;

• Clean and disinfect equipment that is rented in accordance with CDC and DOH guidelines;

• Train and equip employees to perform protocols effectively and in a manner that promotes the safety of the visitors and staff;

• Place additional restrictions on areas of the business, as necessary, to limit person-to-person interactions and facilitate appropriate social distancing;

• Immediately separate and send home workers who appear to have symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 illness upon arrival at work or who become sick during the day;

• Promptly notify workers of any known exposure to COVID-19 at the worksite, consistent with the confidentiality requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and any other applicable laws;

• Require workers and customers to wear cloth face coverings while in the indoor portion of the premises, except when doing so would inhibit that person's health or when the person is under 2 years of age, and require workers to wear gloves when in contact with customers or goods.

• Businesses must provide, at their expense, such face coverings and gloves for their employees.

This article originally appeared on the Morristown Patch