As Summer Approaches, South Jersey Beach Patrols Prepare Amid COVID-19 Restrictions

The Memorial Day Weekend is here and it's the unofficial start to the summer season of 2020! South Jersey beach patrols are preparing to open the beach and gearing up to protect the bathing public.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our normal lives, but as summer approaches South Jersey beach patrols have to be ready for the upcoming season, and this year is no exception. There has been a lot of uncertainty regarding the regulations that the Governor of New Jersey plans to implement.

As the weather gets warmer, people will want to go to the beach and the patrols will have to adapt. One of the newly appointed Captains of the Margate City Beach Patrol, Chris Graves, said, "This weekend MCBP will open six beaches with guards in the stand with modifications. All guards will be equipped with hand sanitizer and N95 masks with them in their stands." Captain Graves also believes by late June all twelve stands in Margate will be operational.

During the summer months on my show, The Locker Room with Billy Schweim, we cover all the beach patrol races with interviews from the competitors. As the summer gets underway, I will speak with several Captains and Chiefs from the various beach patrols at the Jersey shore from Cape May Point to Brigantine to inform us of the summer racing schedule throughout the year.

The tradition of the beach patrol races has a rich history. Let's hope that they will continue as normal on the quest to crown the newest South Jersey Lifeguard champions.