Jersey Shore, lakes will open on May 22, Murphy announces.

The Jersey Shore and lake shores will be open in eight days, effective Friday, May 22, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Thursday.

"The Jersey Shore, after all, is where memories are made. The last thing any of us wanted was for a summertime down the Shore to be a memory," he said at the daily COVID-19 briefing.

Murphy said the opening is being coordinated with Delaware, New York and Connecticut.

He also said the state is working on public swimming pool protocols and charter fishing rules and would soon have announcements about them.

The Shore and lake rules, he announced:

• The amount of beachgoers allowed on beaches or lakefronts will be restricted.
• Swimming is allowed.
• Social distancing will be extended to beaches.
• No public beach can be turned into a private one.
• Local leaders will determine capacity limitations, including limiting beach tags available for any given day.
• Social distancing required except for family groups, household members, caretakers or couples.
• Organized events and contact sports prohibited. This includes concerts, festivals or fireworks.
• Shower pavilions, changing areas and restrooms will be open. State park restrooms also will be reopened.
• Boardwalk restaurants can operate for take-out and delivery only.
• Amusement parks, playgrounds and visitor centers will remain closed for the time being.
• Public outreach campaigns will ensure visitors understand the restrictions.

"We highly recommend you wear a face covering," he said, although they will not require masks.

MORE: The governor's Executive Order

Leonard Desiderio, mayor of Sea Isle City and a Cape May County freeholder speaking at the briefing, said Ocean City, Strathmere and Sea Isle will do a dry run this weekend to understand how to put rules in place.

"We do not want the lifeguards supervising and watching for social distance. We want them to keep looking straight out at the ocean and do what they're supposed to do, watching to make sure everyone is safe," Desiderio said. Face covering rules will be made and police officers will be driving the beach on quads, he said. 

Generally two lifeguards sit on one stand, but the beaches will go to one to a stand and another stand close by, Desiderio explained.

Desiderio said he is pleased the small boardwalk retail shops will be open. However, they will be limited like other non-essential retail in the state. He said, like restaurants, he expects the small retailers to be creative in how they do business, including delivery.

Gov. Murphy said the state's reopening strategy is made up of smaller, incremental steps so when there is a flare-up in the spread of coronavirus it can be addressed with testing and contact tracing.

"I personally would assess that beaches are getting toward the edge of what we can responsibly do right now," Murphy said. "We know people are dying to let steam off. They're dying to get out."