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NY, NJ and Connecticut governors allow local marinas to reopen

On Saturday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, along with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, announced that marinas and boatyards can reopen for personal use.

In a news release, the three governors said that “boatyards and marine manufacturers will be allowed to open for personal use as long as strict social distancing and sanitization protocols are followed. Chartered watercraft services or rentals will not be allowed, and restaurant activity at these sites must be limited to take-out or delivery only, like anywhere else in the three states.”

Separately, Gov. Cuomo said private golf courses would now be allowed to have players on them, provided certain rules are followed. His ruling does not apply to state or publicly owned courses.

Under the new guidelines, golfers must carry their own bags and the only employees allowed to work on the course would be those considered essential, such as maintenance workers.

Marinas and golf courses in particular have been two businesses that seemed to straddle the line between essential and nonessential since the state’s mandate in March first closed down nonessential businesses. On April 9, the state added language on its website stating that marinas and golf courses could no longer operate to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Gov. Cuomo last week extended NY PAUSE, the executive order to close schools and nonessential businesses, to May 15.