Three more Ocean County towns have collectively decided to close their beaches as the number of coronavirus cases in the county continued to mount this month.

The beaches of Point Pleasant Beach, Mantoloking and Bay Head will all close on Friday until further notice, the three towns announced in a Facebook post earlier this week.

While we deeply regret having to restrict this access to those who enjoy our beaches and have respected the Governors essential travel restrictions and practiced proper social distancing, the mounting numbers of coronavirus cases in Ocean County and New Jersey have made this decision a necessity to protect the safety and well-being of our local residents and other beachgoers, the joint announcement said.

As of Wednesday afternoon there at are least 1,209 positive coronavirus cases in Ocean County, the local health department reported, and 23 deaths, according to the latest numbers provided by Gov. Phil Murphy on Thursday.

Come Friday, only one town on the Barnegat Peninsula will not have closed its beaches; Seaside Park. The 20-mile, narrow barrier peninsula stretches from Point Pleasant Beach to Seaside Park, and is a popular destination for summer visitors to the Jersey Shore. It has opted to close its boardwalk.

Seaside Heights, Ortley Beach and Lavallette closed boardwalks and beaches late last month, while Point Pleasant Beach had originally only elected to close its boardwalk.

Seaside Heights has also announced an emergency order prohibiting the rental of homes and any other type of rental units via AirBNB, VRBO and other online marketplaces in the borough.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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3 more Ocean County beaches closing this week as coronavirus cases mount - NJ.com