Could Daily Beach Badges No Longer Exist In Asbury Park, NJ In 2021? Possibly….
If you haven't gotten your hands on a beach badge - no matter what Jersey Shore beach you plan on hitting up this Summer -- you need to do so IMMEDIATELY!
CLICK HERE for the 2021 Jersey Shore Beach Badge Guide
And here is why....
Spring Lake has already sold out of seasonal beach badges and I have proof HERE! Locals are obviously pissed.
Plus, a total of 1,500 Asbury Park seasonal beach badges went on sale at through their Viply app for the first time in 2021 at 10:00 AM this morning and they were ALL gone in less than 10 minutes. And guess what....the same thing happened at 11:00 AM.
And if this is what is happening in Asbury....prepare for the influx of sales to happen in other towns as well.
The badges are being sold in smaller bulks this year to avoid overloading the Viply app because let's face it....cabin fever has got people hungry to get outdoors.
But wait! There's more....
Asbury is changing on how they will sell their daily beach badges.
Last year, only 3,000 daily badges were available through the Viply app and then 200 to 400 passes were designated for those who preferred to purchase in person.
This summer, the town is going to wait and see how many seasonal badges will be sold by Memorial Day weekend and those sales will determine how many or if daily badges will be sold at all.
Look at the wording: daily beach badges in Asbury could totally NOT be a thing in 2021 and I get it. How else are we going to control the capacity limits?
But the town's Summer revenue is going to take a huge hit.
But the focus clearly seems to be on seasonal badge sales this Summer anyways.
Plus, according to NJ.com, "there is no limit on seasonal sales," which is refreshing to hear.
And according to Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, “People should not panic. [Seasonal beach badges will] be on sale every day on the Viply app. If you can’t get them today, you will get them.”
We are not out of the COVID-19 Pandemic just yet -- and I don't mean to be a Debbie downer here -- but I am very hesitant to throw my hands up in the air and say, "WE DID IT! This Summer will be normal!"
I mean....HELLO! There was already an issue with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
There is no way that I see us going from extreme limited capacities on our beaches in 2020 to a free for all in 2021. Everyone is not even vaccinated just yet and it is already mid-April.
I think we need to mentally prepare that capacity limits could very well be set in 2021 on our beaches and if that is the case, daily beach badges could soon be no more.
If officials know how many seasonal beach badges are out there, they can plan accordingly.
But a majority of daily beach badges are purchased last minute and that is where planning and social distancing become a challenge.
An unwritten capacity rule is basically already written.
If that is the case: get your beach badges now so you are ensured a spot. #LocalsFirst
“Everybody who buys seasonal doesn’t go to the beach on the same day,” Quinn said. “Overall, we’re hopefully that similar to last year, people are cognizant of social distancing and the variants and so on... We limited more than any other beach town last year... This year, we’re going to be a little looser on how many we sell.”
Have you heard of other issues in other Jersey Shore beach towns? Email me at Nicole.Murray@townsquaremedia.com.
Let's ensure all of us locals get a beach badge....then we will worry about the visitors.
Is that mean? LOL
Take a look at the original article reporting on the insane beach badge sales in Asbury Park at NJ.com.