MediaWize

The French Consulate has announced that Ocean City’s Francis X. McCormac, a WWII U.S. Army veteran, will be named a Chevalier (Knight) of France’s National Order of the Legion of Honor, on July 14 (Bastille Day). The award, the highest given to civilians or military, was created in 1802 by Napoleon to recognize men and women who have accomplished exceptional deeds for France and its people. McCormac’s nomination was based on his 1942-45 U.S. Army service as a signal corpsman, most notably during the D-Day invasion of Omaha Beach in Normandy.

The Cape May County Zoo is taking additional steps to provide safety precautions for its visitors, staff, and animals. Capacity is going to be placed at 20 percent and all visitors over the age of 2 are required to wear a mask to follow the Centers for Disease Control guidelines. These changes took effect Friday.

The Ocean City Free Public Library will open its doors to the public on a limited basis beginning Monday, July 6, at 11 a.m., following a lengthy shutdown during the coronavirus pandemic. Operating hours will be Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library will have one point of entry located in the atrium of the Community Center. Curbside pickup will be located on the 17th Street side of the library.

The Ocean City public relations team will be strolling the Boardwalk from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, awarding prizes to families and individuals wearing face coverings.

Mayor Jay Gillian has joined with other local mayors and the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders to urge residents and visitors to wear face coverings in public during the coronavirus pandemic. Gillian noted in a statement Thursday that the request to wear face coverings includes the Ocean City Boardwalk. His statement follows.

The Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Cape May County Chamber Board of Directors, and the mayors of all 16 Cape May County municipalities released a joint statement Wednesday urging residents and visitors to wear face coverings in public during the pandemic. Their statement follows.

County Chief Paul S. Skill, president of the Cape May County Chiefs of Police Association, issued a statement on behalf of the association urging people to use precautions while enjoying the holiday weekend. “The July Fourth holiday is always an exciting time, especially here in Cape May County. With the unfortunate COVID-19 limitations placed on businesses and events because of the danger of getting infected or infecting our fellow residents and visitors, the crowds of people may have fewer places to go to, or the locations may have much more limited capacities,” Skill noted in a press release. His full statement follows.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (BHHS) Fox & Roach Realtors congratulates the Ocean City office sales associates for receiving the eighth annual REAL Trends and Tom Ferry International America’s Best Real Estate Professionals Award, a national award ranking measured by REAL Trends. “America’s Best” honors those who are among the top 1.5 percent of 1.4 million real estate professionals in the nation. The list ranks agents and teams in 12 categories, including individual agent sales volume, individual agent transaction sides, team sales volume by team size, and team transaction sides by team size. The names of the agents and their sales achievements follow.

Providers and staff throughout AtlantiCare have focused on making special connections with patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They include Samantha O’Brien, RN, BSN, team leader, Progressive Care Unit, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center (ARMC) Mainland Campus, of Mays Landing, New Jersey, and her colleagues. The unit was temporarily changed to be a respiratory care unit during the pandemic. It has cared for many patients who had COVID-19, including Joey Ortiz. Joey’s family said they are grateful for how the team treated Joey and kept them connected with him and his caregivers, including through FaceTime.

Beginning July 6, youth day camps, including municipal summer programs, will be able to operate as long as they comply with required social distancing and other mitigation policies. Residential and overnight camps are prohibited from operating. To help protect the health and safety of our children, camp workers, and communities against the spread of COVID-19, the Cape May County Department of Health has released guidelines for youth summer camps. The safety guidelines follow.