The Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk reopened Friday after being closed for 10 weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The barriers at the boardwalk have been removed and the food stands and beaches have opened. Dozens of people were spotted at the boardwalk Friday afternoon.

“Breathing in the sea air is what I needed, what my children needed. This is definitely making us very happy and excited for summer 2020,” says resident Jackie Picinich.

Mayor Paul Kanitra took some criticism for closing the boardwalk and parking areas and not reopening them soon.

“July and August are the most important months here. Our boardwalk is very narrow. Our population swells incredibly and our police force was diminished,” he says. “We’ve taken care of all those things now and ready to welcome everybody back.”

Parking will return to normal next Friday. Jenkinson’s employees also returned to work. The rides and attractions will remain closed, but the beaches and concessions stands have been opened.

“Unfortunately, most of the business, once it’s passed, it's passed. Everyone knows the Jersey Shore has a limited season and we try and pack as much as we can into it,” says Jenkinson’s spokeswoman Toby Wolf. “We are fortunate here, we do have year-round facilities. But it's that crunch of 15-16 weeks of summer, that's when the shore is making the bulk of their income a year.”

Jenkinson’s and Mayor Kanitra say that they hope that within the coming days Gov. Phil Murphy will lower restrictions on outdoor dining, allowing the practice at the boardwalk and in downtown Point Pleasant Beach.