Outdoor Dining Returns to R-FH Area; The COVID-19 Rules & Governor’s Update

A sunny Monday marked a COVID-19 era milestone in New Jersey with the opening of outdoor dining as Gov. Phil Murphy remained cautiously optimistic about the second-stage restart of the economy amidst a pandemic.

“Let’s be clear. Opening restaurants is one half of this restart equation,” the governor said in his daily pandemic update. Widely criticized weeks ago by a group of Rumson-Fair Haven area restaurateurs for not letting them open 10 days sooner, Murphy stood his ground in his decision, adding on Monday that restaurants were opened as quickly as they could be in order to keep safety paramount in a state that has, to date, has seen 167,103 lab-confirmed cases and 12,676 deaths.

In Monmouth County, there are now 8,761 positive cases and the death toll is at 678. In Fair Haven, 28 have tested positive. In Rumson, 38. Sea Bright has 12. Little Silver has 37 who have tested positive. And Red Bank has 236.

The governor said he has “said countless times” that the ability to transition into the second stage of reopening has always been dependent on a drop in the rate of transmission, hospitalization numbers and increased hospital capacity. “Data determines dates,” he said.

Cautioning that there is a lot that is still unknown about the virus, the governor added that what is known is that being outdoors is safer than being indoors and wearing a face covering is safer than not wearing one. He stressed that reopening does not mean the virus is dead.

So, calling the outdoor opening of restaurants, child care and non-essential retail the beginning of “the next leg of our journey on our road back,” Gov. Murphy made it clear that distancing still applies, as do masks and abundant caution. Adhering to strict standards of wearing masks indoors is especially critical to staving off the virus, he said.

He also cleared up a rumor about restaurants’ permitted hours of operation, saying, “Restaurants’ hours for outdoor dining are not limited by any state order. There’s something out there that implies that restaurants have to close at 8 p.m.. There is no restriction, from the state at least. Stay open and enjoy. To be clear, restaurant hours have never been limited by the state, anyway.”

Indoor operation, for curbside and/or take-out, may continue as they have been with no restriction on hours as well, he added.

To enable business function of establishments that have normally served alcohol indoors, Murphy said that 646 liquor license permits have been issued by the state for expanded outdoor service.

The ease in restriction comes with strict rules, though. Tables must be six feet apart from one another with a limit of eight people per table. Restaurant servers and all employees must wear masks and gloves. Signs must be posted indicating that if you have a fever or any COVID-19 symptoms, you may not enter. Access to the inside of restaurants must be limited to bathrooms and quick entry and exit for pick-ups, if necessary.

“Our goal is not to experience the spikes that other states have experienced because they opened too soon,” he said. “What we are doing is working (opening in a responsible way). Citing that while the economy is important, the “ultimate goal is to save lives,” he said. To do that, the governor said, people need to practice safety, social distance, wear face coverings and sanitize diligently. A smooth transition to reopening is key, he said, avoiding “jolting by stops and starts because we think we can go back to the way things were.”

So, restaurant dining has now reached a new normal statewide.

In the Rumson-Fair Haven area, the following restaurants are open for outdoor dining (click each for more specific information):

Tavolo Pronto

Edie’s Luncheonette in Little Silver

Undici in Rumson

Val’s Tavern in Rumson

Donovan’s Reef in Sea Bright

Tommy’s Tavern + Tap in Sea Bright

Woody’s Ocean Grille in Sea Bright

Eventide Grille at the Navesink Marina

Rory’s Pub in Sea Bright

The Rum Runner in Sea Bright