Wildwood, North Wildwood Among Jersey Shore Towns Planning To Partially Reopen Friday

Mayor Patrick Rosenello joined Eyewitness News to discuss how North Wildwood prepared for the reopening.

HAS TESTED NEGATIVE FOR THEVIRUS.JIM?THANK YOU VERY MUCH,JANELLE.AS WE'VE BEEN MENTIONING ALLMORNING LONG, SOME NEW JERSEYSHORE TOWNS WILL BEGINRE-OPENING THEIR BEACHES ANDBOARDWALKS TODAY, AMONG THEM,NORTH WILDWOOD, AND WE'REJOINED BY THE MAYOR, THEREPATRICK, GOOD MORNING,PATRICK.MORNING, JIM FIRST OF ALLTHIS PARTIAL RE-OPENING,WHAT'S INVOLVED?WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO?WHAT CAN'T THEY DO?EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING ISUNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THEGOVERNOR'S SOCIAL DISTANCINGGUIDELINES, SO ANYTHING YOU'REALLOWED TO DO, ONLY SUPPOSEDTO BE OUTSIDE DOING WITHIMMEDIATE HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS.SO THIS MORNING, OUR BOARDWALKIS RE-OPENING FOR THE FIRSTTIME IN I GUESS SIX, SEVENWEEKS, WHERE YOU CAN NOW WALK,BIKE, RUN, AGAIN ON THEBOARDWALK, AND THERE ARE SOMEFOOD SERVICE PLACES OPEN ONTHE BOARDWALK, FOR TAKE-OUT.WE NEVER ACTUALLY SHUTDOWN OURBEACH ENTIRELY.NORTH WILDWOOD, WILD WILDWOOD,I THINK ATLANTIC CITY ONLYTHREE TOWNS ON THE JERSEYSHORE THAT LEFT BEACHES OPENTHROUGHOUT THIS.SO AGAIN, ACTIVE RECREATIONHAS BEEN PERMITTED.WE ARE GOING TO PERMIT PEOPLETO START SITTING ON THE BEACHAGAIN, ALTHOUGH MIGHT BESNOWSTORM TOMORROW.SO I'M NOT EXPECTING TOO MANYPEOPLE SITTING ON THE BEACH.BUT AGAIN, THAT PERMISSION ISUNDER THE UMBRELLA OF ONLYSUPPOSED TO BE DOING THESEACTIVITIES WITH IMMEDIATEFAMILY MEMBERS.ARE THERE GOING TO BEPATROLS, LIKE WHO WILL BEMONITORING THIS DOWN THERE?WE ARE COUNTING ON PEOPLETO REALLY HAVE SOME SOCIALCONSCIOUS IN THIS.WHEN GO TO THE GROCERY STORERIGHT NOW YOU'RE NOT STANDINGSHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITHSOMEBODY.SO WHEN AT THE BEACH OR THEBOARDWALK WE EXPECT PEOPLE TOJUSTIN TO PRACTICE THOSESOCIAL DISTANCING SKILLS, THATYOU DEVELOPED AT HOME, REALLYJUST CARRY THEM OVER, WHETHERAT HOME OR IF YOU'RE ON THEBEACH.YOU KNOW, A THE LOVEBUSINESSES DOWN IN YOUR TOWNREALLY RELY, THIS IS THEIRBREAD AND BUTTER PERIOD.YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO MAKEDECISION TO OPEN UP THOSEBUSINESSES, THAT'S UP TO THESTATE.BUT WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FORBUSINESS OWNERS?IF THE BUSINESSES AT THEJERSEY SHORE DON'T GET OPENWITHIN THE NEXT 30 TO 45 DAYS,SAY BY THE MIDDLE OF JUNE, THEJERSEY SHORE IS GOING TO BEUNRECOGNIZABLE.THREES SMALL BUSINESSES ARENOT LIKE BIG CORPORATIONS,THEY DON'T HAVE HUGE LINES OFCREDIT OR PAST RESERVE TOSSDRAW DOWN ON.THESE SMALL BUSINESSES AREALMOST EXCLUSIVELY MALLFAMILY-OWNED BUSINESSES UP ANDDOWN THE JERSEY SHORE.THEY CANNOT PACK IT THROUGHOUTAN ENTIRE SEASON WITHOUTRE-OPENING.SO WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAYTO GET THESE BUSINESSES OPEN.WE'VE ALL GONE TO THESE BIGBOX STORES, ACME, WALMART,OPEN, CROWDED, PEOPLE AREPRACTICING SOCIAL DISTANCING,AND WE NODE TO GET SMALLBUSINESSES OPEN.WE NEED TO LET THEM LIVE.OTHERWISE QUITE FRANKLY THEJERSEY SHORE WILL BEUNRECOGNIZABLE IF WE DON'T GETTHESE SMALL BUSINESSES OPEN.THE STATE DO YOU AS LAYTHESE BUSINESS RESTRICTIONS TOEXPIRE AND THINGS TO SLOWLYOPEN UP, YOU KNOW, A LOT OFSEASONAL WORKERS WORK DOWN INYOUR TOWN, YOU KNOW, A LOFTINTERNATIONAL KIDS COME OVERFOR THE SUM EVER L THERE BEPEOPLE TO FILL THOSE JOBSQUICKLY TO GET THOSEBUSINESSES UP AND RUNNING?ONE THING I KNOW SMALLBUSINESSES ARE VERY VERYRESOURCEFUL.AND I'VE ALREADY SEENINITIATIVES TAKING PLACEAMONGST PEOPLE NORMALLY WEHAVEN'T SEEN DOWN HERE FOR ALONG TIME.THERE IS A LOT OF COLLEGEKIDS, FOR INSTANCE, WHOUNFORTUNATELY AREN'T DOINGINTERNSHIPS THIS SUMMER.YES.DOING DIFFERENT CAMPS ANDTHINGS LIKE, THAT HIGH SCHOOLKIDS, SO THERE IS TIMEOLD-FASHIONED EMPLOYMENT POOL,BACK AVAILABLE, AT THE JERSEYSHORE AND WE'RE SEEING IT.I'M INVOLVED WITH SOMEBUSINESSES, AND WE HAVE A LOTOF INTEREST FROM AGAIN HIGHSCHOOL, COLLEGE KIDS,RETIREES, THEME WE REALLYHAVEN'T SEEN IN THE SEASONALLABOR POOL IN MIME LIFETIMESORT OF COMING NOOK IT.WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT ASFAR AS SHORT-TERM RENTALS?THAT WAS VERY VERY BIG ANDVERY VERY DIFFICULT DECISION.ALL THE TOWNS IN CAPE MAYCOUNTY COLLECTIVELY ARE MADETHE DECISION TO KEEPSHORT-TERM RENTALS RESTRICTEDTHROUGH MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND,MEANING, THAT THERE ARE NOSHORT-TERM RENTALS AVAILABLEIN CAPE MAY COUNTY UNTIL AFTERMEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.WE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSIONWITH OUR BUSINESS OWNERS,OBVIOUSLY, ON THAT.THEY DON'T WENT TO START OUTTHE SUMMER WITH THIS HUGEGATHERING OF PEOPLE.WE'RE ALL INTERESTED INOPENING THE SUMMER SLOWLY ANDSAFELY.SO REAL A VERY COLLABORATIVEEFFORT TO MAKE AND COME TOAGREEMENT WITH OUR BUSINESSOWNERS ACROSS THE TOWN, CAPEMAY COUNTY, RESTRICTSHORT-TERM RENTALS AFTERMEMORIAL DAY WEAKEN.SO BEGINNING THAT TUESDAY MAY26, THROUGH THE FOLLOWINGMONDAY JUNE 1ST, VARIATIONAMONG THE TOWNS, BUT WAITINGFOR AFTER THE MEMORIAL DAYWEEKEND FOR SHORT-TERM RENTALSTO COMMENCE.LOOKING INTO YOUR CRYSTALBALL, HOW DO YOU SEE THESUMMER TURNING SNOUT.IT WILL BE UNLIKE ANYSUMMER WE'VE HAD AT THE JERSEYSHORE, WE KNOW, THAT THINGSWILL BE DIFFERENT.I THINK WE ARE GOING TO HAVEMAYBE MORE OF A TRADITIONALHOW IT USED TO BE DECADES AGO,YOU KNOW, WITH FAMILIES OUT OFWORK, KIDS NOT DOING CAMPS.I'M ANTICIPATING SECOND HOMEOWN LETTERS PROBABLY PENT GOODPORTIONS OF THE SUMMER DOWNHERE, I THINK PEOPLE WILL BECOMING THE AT DIFFERENT TIMES,BUT THE LAST FEW YEARS THESHORE DEVELOPED NEICE THESEPEAKS AND VALLEYS, HUGE BUSYWEEKENDS AND QUIET SLEEPYTIMES.I THINK IT WILL BE LITTLEDIFFERENT THIS YEAR.I THINK WILL BE A LITTLE MOREEVEN, DIFFERENT, AND WE WILLADAPT.PATRICK, MAYOR OF NORTHWILDWOOD, THANK YOU SO MUCHFOR JOINING US THIS MORNING,