Betty and Al Giumetti, of Pilesgrove Township, N.J., are joined by their grandchildren, Rocco and Gabrielle, for a walk on the Promenade.
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
In his 28 years as a lifeguard in Sea Isle City, Lt. Mike McCormick has never had to wear a face covering.
But there he was on Saturday, wearing a bandana-style face covering that he pulled over his mouth and nose when he spoke to members of the public.
“It’s a different time right now and we have to adjust. The last thing we want to do is regress and have to shut down again,” McCormick said of the coronavirus restrictions.
As the Memorial Day holiday weekend unfolds at the shore, there are obvious signs that Sea Isle’s employees, residents and visitors are adjusting to the pandemic by observing social distancing – and even wearing a mask or another type of face covering when appropriate.
Beachgoers crowded the shoreline and plunged into the slightly chilly water while savoring the gorgeous weather that prevailed through most of the afternoon on Saturday.
Betty and Al Giumetti, of Pilesgrove Township, N.J., are joined by their grandchildren, Rocco and Gabrielle, for a walk on the Promenade.
But beachgoers and other visitors seemed to heed the advice of Sea Isle officials – as well as the array of social distancing signs and banners the city has placed around town – to remain at least 6 feet apart from strangers.
“In each vehicle, we have disposable masks and hand sanitizers. We have about 10 masks in each car,” Al Giumetti, a visitor from Pilesgrove Township, N.J., explained of the precautions he and his family are taking during the pandemic.
Giumetti and his wife, Betty, were joined by their grandchildren, Rocco, 8, and Gabrielle, 6, as they strolled down Sea Isle’s oceanfront Promenade. They were careful not to venture too close to strangers.
After observing the governor’s stay-at-home orders for the past two months, they were happy to finally leave the confines of their house for a relaxing holiday getaway at the shore.
“In the environment at the shore, there is fresh, clean air blowing around. Staying in the house is not good for you,” Al Giumetti said. “You’ve got more of a chance of getting sick at the supermarket than you do here.”
Beachgoers search for spots that give them plenty of space between one another.
Out on the beach, lifeguards were practicing several forms of social distancing. In the past, two of them would share a lifeguard stand while keeping watch over swimmers.
Frank Butch, of West Chester, Pa., emerges from the surf with his daughter, Sophia, in tow after she takes a swim.
Adhering to the 6-foot rule, beachgoers interviewed Saturday said they deliberately picked spots on the sand that were far enough away from strangers.
Frank Butch, an engineer from West Chester, Pa., studied the tide charts so he would know when the beach had the most space available at low tide.
“We referenced the tide charts because we wanted to make sure,’ said Butch, who was lounging in a beach chair near the water’s edge while joined by his wife, Stacey, and their 10-year-old daughter, Sophia.
Not far down the beach, Carmen Reed, of Philadelphia, was watching her sons, Nick, 10, and Joey, 7, and her 5-year-old daughter, Brianna, digging in the sand with their plastic shovels.
Reed said she is protecting her children from the coronavirus both on the beach and off. She noted, for instance, that the kids stay home when she goes grocery shopping. On the beach, they remain a safe distance from strangers.
“We picked a place that had plenty of distance on the beach. We made sure we were close to the water,” Reed said.
From left, siblings Joey, Brianna and Nick Reed play in the wet sand.
