#Judge temporarily bars Asbury Park, NJ, from allowing indoor dining

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Vendors use face masks as they sell pizza on the boardwalk in Asbury Park, NJ.
AFP via Getty Images

A judge Friday granted Gov. Phil Murphy’s request to bar the city of Asbury Park from allowing restaurant guests to dine indoors, at least for now.

The Garden State governor filed suit earlier Friday after Asbury Park said it would allow local restaurants to open for indoor dining beginning on Monday, despite an executive order that allows for just outdoor service.

Re-opening businesses for indoor service, “requires careful calibration and planning,” the lawsuit said.

“Yet the City of Asbury Park has jumped the proverbial gun, potentially exposing the citizens of the City and the State to the acceleration of COVID-19’s spread — including beyond Asbury Park’s own borders,” the court papers alleged.

Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy granted Murphy’s request temporarily stopping Asbury Park from “authorizing the operation of indoor food and beverage services for indoor dining purposes,” according to the order.

Asbury Park can still fight the order, with a hearing set in the case for July 10.

Asbury Park Mayor John Moor — who is also named as a defendant in the suit — did not immediately return a request for comment.