ISLAND BEACH STATE PARK, N.J. - From the weather to the schools of dolphins and the (mostly) well-behaved crowds, everything and everyone seemed to cooperate at a sprawling oceanfront park Saturday as New Jersey reopened its state parks to a populace itching to get sand between their toes after months of being cooped up due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Island Beach State Park in Ocean County was among the parks to reopen, drawing several hundred people to a beach that routinely handles thousands during the summer.
In the four hours that an Associated Press reporter watched the crowd, almost all of them complied with a requirement that they stay at least six feet apart to prevent the spread of the virus.