By MADDY VITALE
This was the day that they took off their masks and gloves and put on their bathing suits, shorts and sandals.
Saturday was a liberating experience for people tired of being cooped up for the past six weeks adhering to social distancing restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beachgoers and boaters crowded into Corson’s Inlet State Park in Ocean City to enjoy a warm day in May and a time to almost forget that the country is in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic.
However, the State Park Service posted an advisory on its Facebook page Saturday night stating that access to the Corson’s Inlet beach area would be closed “until further notice” and that the parking lot will be for boat launching only. There was no explanation on the Facebook page for the beach closing.
Gov. Phil Murphy had lifted the restriction on state parks he instituted on April 7. By 7 a.m. Saturday all state parks and golf courses were open to the public. The governor left it up to counties to decide whether to open the local parks and golf courses. Cape May County reopened its public parks on Saturday, too.
For the surge of people who jogged along, hopped on jet skis, did some fishing or just laid out and chatted among family or friends, the day meant a glimmer of normalcy in what has turned into a virtual world.
“It just feels great to not feel so isolated,” noted Victor Ma, 14, of Williamstown.
Victor, his 12-year-old sister, Arleen, and father, Visal Ma, decided to take their jet ski to Corson’s Inlet and have some family time – away from thinking about the coronavirus that has killed 65,908 countrywide with more than 1.1 million cases.
“It is just a way for us to forget. At least for a while,” Arleen said.
Visal explained that he and his family practice social distancing and this was their first time out since the pandemic.
Schools closed in March, moving students to online learning. Masks were made mandatory during shopping and a 6-foot separation between people other than family, friends or romantic partners were and still are the restrictions in New Jersey.
Safety, however, was also on the minds of people at Corson’s Inlet.
“I think it is good the governor opened the parks. But we have to open up slowly because there are still a lot of people getting tested who have the virus,” Visal Ma said.
Shawn Kodaduk and his daughter, Lexi, 16, of Wilmington, Del., soaked up the rays on 70-degree day while sitting on beach towels at Corson’s Inlet State Park.
“We saw the park was open and since the beaches we normally go to were closed we wanted to come down,” said Kodaduk, who has a vacation home in Ocean City.
For Lexi, like the Ma children, her classes are online as well.
“Everything is so different right now. I just got my license. Sometimes I just drive to Starbucks and sit in the parking lot. It is just the new normal for now,” Lexi said.
Jack Helms, of Philadelphia, and his son-in-law, Leo McGlynn, came down to their Ocean City vacation home to check on things and decided to take advantage of a beautiful day and a place to go fishing.
“There were zero fish,” Helms said with a laugh as he and McGlynn headed out of Corson’s Inlet and called it a day.
But Helms and McGlynn both had big smiles.
“We wanted to get out. It didn’t matter we didn’t catch any fish,” Helms said. “I think everyone wants to get out. Everyone has had enough.”
