City of Ocean City, NJ - Office of Emergency Management Special Statement: 4 p.m. Saturday, May 2, 2020   All of New Jersey remains under a State of Emergency and Public Health Emergency due to the spread of COVID-19. Please remember that Ocean City’s beaches and boardwalk are closed to all users. Social distancing is required to be practiced except with immediate family members, caretakers, household members or romantic partners. It is also recommended that people wear a cloth face covering while in public settings where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. Gatherings of any kind are prohibited. Please do not place an unnecessary burden on our first responders by failing to comply with these very clear and simple guidelines.​ ... Read More

Date: May 1, 2020 Dear Friends, We all took shelter as COVID-19 approached. Now the forecast calls for a beautiful weekend, and we’re anxious to get back out, back to work and back to normal. But I want to caution that this is just the eye of the storm. As we know at the shore, the second half of a hurricane can be the deadliest. I have had a busy week of talks with doctors, hospital officials, the governor's office, mayors of other shore towns, the county's Recovery Initiative, public health experts and others. It’s very clear to me that we need to be patient. At this time, we are just not ready to see a dramatic increase in our population with guests traveling from near and far. No decision has been made about when... Read More

Date: April 24, 2020 Dear Friends, I want to thank all of our essential workers for their dedication – not just the doctors, nurses, health care workers and first responders on the front lines of the fight against this pandemic – but all of the people who are working in grocery stores, picking up our trash and recycling every week, and providing all of the other vital services we need. I want you to know that I will continue to do everything I can, within the law, to keep you and your families safe and healthy. We can get through this together. I also want you to know that I will do everything I can to get everybody back to work, so you can continue to feed your families, pay your bills and return to... Read More

Please note that there are two new items available by New Jersey Department of Health; “Quick Guidance for Bars and Restaurants” and “Quick Guidance for Retail Businesses” They may be found at: https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/covid2019_schoolbusiness.shtml.... Read More

Date: April 17, 2020 Dear Friends, I want to thank everyone again for adhering to all of the many restrictions in place to slow the spread of coronavirus. We need to continue to be vigilant to prevent the exponential growth of infections that other areas of the state are experiencing. I also want there to be hope. We are starting to plan for the day when we can begin to reopen Ocean City. One thing is certain: We do not want to risk a second wave of infections. It will not be business-as-usual this summer. But there will be a summer. I am working with City Council, the mayors of shore towns, county and state officials, and public health experts on a coordinated effort to plan for the future. This includes discussions of when and... Read More

Small Business Emergency Assistance Loan applications open today, Monday, April 13, 2020. In response to the economic challenges being faced by New Jersey small businesses due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) has created the Small Business Emergency Assistance Loan Program. The $10 million program will make direct low-cost financing available to allow New Jersey small businesses and non-profits to cover operating expenses and ensure continuity of operations during the outbreak. Click here for more info and to apply.... Read More

What is included in the pending Executive Order on construction closures and social distancing guidelines? Governor Murphy announced on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, a pending Executive Order that will impact business operations across the State of New Jersey. This Executive Order generally covers: Closure of Non-Essential Construction All non-essential construction across the state will cease, indefinitely, effective 8 p.m. Friday. Exceptions to this shut-down include: projects at our hospitals and schools, in our transportation and utility sector, the building of affordable housing, other individual housing sites that can adhere to strict limits on the number of workers on-site at any given time, emergency repairs, and work needed to safely secure a construction site, and other limited instances. New Guidelines for Essential Retail Stores All essential retail must indefinitely limit the number of customers in their stores... Read More