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Update: Lakewood DPW Will Sanitize Howell Parks After New COVID Wave

UPDATED: An uptick in coronavirus temporarily closed public parks and ballfields in one Monmouth County township.

Parks and playgrounds in New Jersey initially closed in mid-March, as one of many statewide efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Parks and playgrounds in New Jersey initially closed in mid-March, as one of many statewide efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Photo Credit: Patrick O'Brien

But the Lakewood Department of Public Works has offered to come to the rescue and sanitize parks in Howell, reversing its previous park closure announcement.

Howell Township's Office of Emergency Management announced on Tuesday that all parks are ordered closed immediately.

"This is due to the recent uptick in COVID cases combined with the large number of complaints being received that the parks are filled to capacity, with users not social distancing and with most individuals not. . . not wearing masks,," Howell's announcement read.

But on Wednesday, Howell Township's manager announced a gradual phased in re-opening of parks and ballfields:

“Most of our organized sports leagues have a plan in place relating to COVID-19.”

“As a result, we will be allowing them to utilize our parks again. We expect them to return to the fields today," Howell's updated announcement read.

Monmouth and Ocean counties account for nearly one-third of the state's new cases-- or a total of 205 of the positive tests that NJ officials reported on Tuesday — 91 from Monmouth and 114 from Ocean. 

Any individual not adhering to this park closing, could face a fine under the Howell State of Emergency and Executive order 107, the township OEM office said.

On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that New Jersey has 514 new positive cases, pushing its cumulative total to 209,850.

That gives the Garden State the nation’s highest COVID-19 infection rate of any state at eight cases per 100,000 residents.

Murphy also reported new confirmed COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday for a total of 14,364 lab-confirmed lives lost.

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