By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
As her husband, John, nodded his head in agreement, Sherry Rajczy, talked about the frustration of essentially being trapped inside their Washington Township, N.J., home during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I can’t stay cooped up here any longer. I’m going nuts,” she recalled telling her husband Monday morning. “I want fresh air. I want to hear the seagulls. I want to hear the roar of the ocean.”
Feeling the same way himself, John gave his wife exactly what she wanted by taking a day trip to the shore. By Monday afternoon, they were savoring a wide-open expanse of the Sea Isle City beach all to themselves in what was their liberation from the pandemic shutdown.
“We feel free,” Sherry exclaimed.
After more than a month-long shutdown during the pandemic, Sea Isle’s beaches and oceanfront Promenade were reopened over the weekend.
Walking hand-in-hand on the beach, Sherry and John Rajczy said they looked forward to bringing their grandson to the shore so he could dig in the sand.
After getting their fill of TV watching and reading a lot of books, they tried to conquer their boredom by cleaning out some of the junk from their home.
“We cleaned up our house. That was the one good thing we did,” Sherry said with a laugh while recounting their days at home during the pandemic.
Even though Sea Isle’s beaches and Promenade are accessible to the public again, certain restrictions must be followed, consistent with Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive orders for social distancing, Mayor Leonard Desiderio emphasized.
“Activities on the beach are limited to fishing, surfing, walking, running and exercising only; and those who enjoy the Promenade will be permitted to walk, run, bike and skate in the fresh salt air,” Desiderio said in a statement.
Signs greet everyone entering the Promenade and beaches, reminding them of the restrictions that are in place for now.
Social distancing must be maintained at all times on both the Promenade and the beach. Sea Isle officials are urging people to keep at least six feet apart from others and refrain from sitting in beach chairs, sunbathing and participating in group activities.
“I cannot stress enough the importance of following these directions so we can safely keep our beaches and Promenade accessible now and in the future,” Desiderio said.
Sea Isle resident Stuart Fossett and his daughters, Sophie and Chloe, said they planned to maintain social distancing while they were out walking Monday afternoon on the Promenade.
They were happy just to be able to spend some time outdoors.
“It’s nice to see some familiar sights and not be stuck in the house,” Steve Fossett said.
Sophie, a student at the University of Virginia, and Chloe, who attends James Madison University, finished up their semesters last week with online instruction. Their studies shifted online after their colleges closed down in-person classes in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
“It was harder to stay focused on our work,” Sophie noted of the online studies.
Fossett said he gained a greater appreciation of just how much work his daughters do in college by watching them study online.
But on Monday, it was time for Fossett and his daughters to finally relax a bit by taking a leisurely walk on the Promenade.
“It’s nice. It does seem like we’re getting back to normal a little bit,” Chloe said.
