Atlantic City Temporarily Allows Open Alcohol On Boardwalk

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — Now you can drink up, legally, on the Atlantic City boardwalk. Mayor Marty Small Sr. issued an executive order Monday to temporarily allow open alcohol consumption on the boardwalk, Gardner's Basin and the Orange Loop.

The executive order includes certain rules. Occupants must purchase the alcohol from a licensed establishment within the open-container zones. Drinks must be in a plastic container with the seller's name or logo.

The order doesn't allow for alcohol consumption in a motor vehicle within the zones, and underage drinking remains prohibited.

Several key businesses, such as casinos, remain closed in Atlantic City because of state coronavirus restrictions. The executive order attempts to help local businesses and get more people to Atlantic City.

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"Just like every decision this administration has made to date, if we find that it’s not working, we’ll do the right thing and reverse it," Small said. "However, this is giving people the chance to provide a new amenity in the city of Atlantic City, and we’re going to support our business community 1,000 percent."

Atlantic City could temporarily allow for open consumption because it fits within the framework of Governor Phil Murphy's executive orders relating to the coronavirus, Small says.

But city officials have campaigned in the past to permanently allow for open alcohol consumption. City Council passed an ordinance last year to allow it, according to At-large Councilman George Tibbitt. However, state legislators would need to pass a law allowing cities to enact these changes, city officials said.

Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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