May 04, 2020
StreetView/Google Maps
The Osprey nightclub in Manasquan, Monmouth County, will be closed for the 2020 summer. Management says social distancing restrictions would make it impossible to do business.
The Osprey, a popular Jersey Shore nightclub, will not reopen for the 2020 summer season because of the coronavirus pandemic, management announced Sunday.
The popular club, which has been a staple in Manasquan, Monmouth County, since it opened in 1946, called the decision to close "heartbreaking" in the Facebook post. Management cited the "expected reduction in capacity" and social distancing restrictions as factors.
The closure is temporary, the club's management said, and the Osprey is expected to return for the its 75th anniversary in the summer of 2021.
Earlier this month, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he didn't believe most of the state's stay-at-home restrictions would be lifted until either June or July. This would mean Jersey Shore businesses that typically benefit from Memorial Day weekend would be out of luck — a fact that concerns many beach town business owners.
On April 4, Murphy and New Jersey State Police Col. Patrick Callahan signed an administrative order allowing the municipalities and counties to ban short-term rentals, with the intent of discouraging people from escaping to the Jersey Shore while quarantining.
Additionally. several beach towns have closed their beaches – and some have closed boardwalks, as well – in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Manasquan officials expect the beach season to begin on Memorial Day as usual.
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