Red Bank Shuts Down Bars, Restaurants, Theaters and Gyms

The Borough of Red Bank has declared a State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 virus and has order all non-essential businesses with an occupancy of 25 people or more to close their doors effective at 11:59 p.m. tomorrow, March 16, according to announcement on town’s website.

Mayor Pat Menna told MMM that the intention is not to shut down retail activity, but specifically to thwart the spread of the virus at bars, restaurants, theaters and gyms. Essential services like hospitals, doctors’ offices, grocery stores and pharmacies are exempt from the shutdown. Menna said the situation will be revisited as the week unfolds.

Effective March 15, 2020, the Borough of Red Bank’s Emergency Management Coordinator has declared a State of Local Disaster Emergency within the Borough of Red Bank. Due to an increase of positive COVID-19 cases throughout Monmouth County and New Jersey, it is appropriate and necessary for the Borough of Red Bank to continue being proactive and a leader in its approach to advance social distancing, including preventing large gatherings in the Borough. The health and safety of our community must be our number one priority.

All non-essential places of business with occupancy greater than 25 persons are closed to the public effective March 16, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. This shall include restaurants, liquor establishments, private gyms, theaters, etc.

All bars and restaurant establishments, with and without a liquor license, are no longer permitted to serve patrons within the establishment. Any bar or restaurant establishment that currently offers food service will be permitted to conduct food takeout and food delivery service only.

All establishments with a liquor license will no longer be permitted to sell, dispense, or distribute alcoholic beverages effective March 16, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.

Violators may be subject to fines and penalties. It is incumbent upon all of us to aggressively mitigate the potential for exposure and further spread. We apologize for any inconvenience but the safety of our business community and the public is our main concern. We appreciate your advance cooperation and understanding during this difficult time. The Borough encourages businesses to be proactive and follow the guidelines of the U.S. CDC which can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/businesses-employers.html

As part of the state’s coordinated response to address the novel coronavirus outbreak, Governor Phil Murphy declared a State of Emergency and a Public Health Emergency, effective March 9, 2020 to ramp up New Jersey’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. The Borough of Red Bank Mayor & Council, Administration, Office of Emergency Management, Police Department and Fire Department continue to monitor the developing situation involving presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Monmouth County. As of March 15, 2020, the Borough of Red Bank is not aware of any presumptive or confirmed positive cases of the COVID-19 virus in Red Bank. For more information, visit the New Jersey COVID-19 Dashboard at https://www.state.nj.us/health/cd/topics/covid2019_dashboard.shtml

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the respiratory illness caused by a new virus that first emerged in December 2019. The NJ Department of Health (NJDOH) is leading the state’s response to COVID-19 and is working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For up-to-date information and recommendations, please visit the NJDOH coronavirus webpage (https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/ncov.shtml) and the CDC coronavirus webpage (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html).