Strolling down the boardwalk this summer, you adjust your surgical mask under the beating sun. On the beach, you stake your umbrella in the sand at least six feet from others, measuring out the distance in your head. Lifeguards near the water line sit alone atop separate stations.

When Jersey Shore towns will start lifting restrictions on their boardwalks, summer rentals and beaches is unknown, but one thing is certain: The summer of 2020 won’t be a normal one, with vacationers crowded together on sand dotted endlessly with beach chairs and umbrellas, municipal officials say.

As coronavirus lockdowns bleed into May, officials along the shore are thinking about safety measures that would allow people to step foot on sandy expanses once again— and restart seasonable economies dependent on three months of business. The timing of any re-openings ultimately rests on Gov. Phil Murphy’s decisions, town leaders agree.

In Point Pleasant Beach, Mayor Paul Kanitra said he, the police chief and Office of Emergency Management Coordinator have been discussing on their morning calls what a “return to normalcy” might look like after closing the boardwalk on March 24 and the beach a week later.

“One of the jokes is that everyone is going to have mask tan lines this summer, and that very may well be a component to this... We may see a boardwalk where masks are required depending on local transmission rates,” Kanitra said. Another town, he said, is considering using rope barriers for crowd control.

Point Pleasant Beach could have a “test run re-opening," allowing residents on the sand first and having police monitor the crowds’ social distancing behavior, Kanitra said. If it’s successful, they would then permit visitors on the beach too.

But the typical image of the Jersey Shore— families packed in under colorful umbrellas or crammed on long lines on amusement piers— could be troublesome in the age of the coronavirus.

In Wildwood, 100 miles down the shoreline, Mayor Pete Byron said it’s possible patrolling officers on four-wheel-drive vehicles may remind sunbathers to keep their beach blankets six feet apart. (Wildwood’s beaches are notoriously vast, though, so Byron expects people to naturally distance themselves).

Hand sanitizing stations could be set up on the boardwalk, too. Wildwood’s beach is currently accessible to some people, including surfers and joggers, but plopping down on a beach chair is prohibited. Residents can go to the boardwalk only to get take-out food.

A young girl bikes in an empty parking lot in Wildwood despite the coronavirus scare, Thursday, March 19, 2020. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Byron said much is in limbo as the city waits for guidance from the governor’s office and guesses what restrictions the state could announce as part of a gradual reopening.

“Perhaps (the governor’s office) won’t allow so many people on a blanket,” Byron said. “The dynamics of it are such that we don’t have an idea. It’s really difficult to get a game plan together when we don’t have any idea what the dynamics are gonna be at this point."

On Tuesday, Murphy said it’s “too early to tell” what the shore will look like by Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial start of summer.

“Even if we are back on our feet — I’m not sure about Memorial Day — but whenever it is, it’s going to be a new normal,” the governor added. “We’re not gonna be packed in with each other any time soon. So even if we are able to achieve some kind of success, it’s gonna be a different kind of success than what we’re used to in the past.”

Cleaning protocols will likely be enhanced in some places. Public restrooms in Seaside Heights may have reduced hours so workers can sanitize them more regularly, and shower pedestals may be closed, said Business Administrator Christopher Vaz said.

There will be fewer lifeguards and beach badge checkers this summer, Vaz said. That’s because, like other shore towns, Seaside Heights has adopted a budget with seasonal staffing cuts, anticipating decreases in tourism revenue from 2019.

With less manpower, people will be directed to designated swimming areas and there will be fewer beach access points, Vaz said.

“We are thinking about these things every day and making plans that balance the need for continued social distancing while we restart the borough’s economic engine,” said Vaz.

The pandemic has thrown off the circadian rhythms of many Jersey Shore towns, which, year after year follow the same playbook leading up to Memorial Day Weekend.

One unexpected challenge is hiring the Class I and Class II police officers needed to enforce new, likely social distancing rules, Kanitra and Byron said. Both shore towns have year-round populations of less than 5,000 people and rely on extra law enforcement help in June, July and August, when visitors flock to the vacation and day trip destinations.

Class I and II officers are typically temporary hires for the summer season who are trained by the New Jersey Police Training Commission. Class II officers carry guns, while Class I officers do not. This year, they’re in short supply because training academies are closed, Kanitra and Byron said. And a majority of Class I and II officers employed by towns last season have found full-time jobs elsewhere since then, Kanitra said.

Beach access is blocked off in Seaside Heights, N.J., Thursday, March 26, 2020. Officials announced Monday that all bay and ocean beaches would be closed, but the boardwalk would remain open.Lori M. Nichols | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

In Wildwood, the city expects to need about 25 such officers for the upcoming season, Public Safety Commissioner Steve Mikulski said. April is when a majority of that hiring begins, but so far, they haven’t been able to secure any Class I or II police officers, he said.

Courses for Class II officers are being run virtually now, said state Attorney General’s Office Spokesman Peter Aseltine. When academies reopen, they can undergo firearms training, emergency vehicle operations and defensive tactics, which takes about three weeks.

Aseline said one option is hiring retired police into Class II officer positions.

“The Police Training Commission (PTC) continues to follow the guidance of the Department of Health, county health agencies, and the CDC. The PTC has an obligation to certify safe and healthy training environments,” Aseltine said.

The lifeguard hiring process has been impacted too.

Wildwood held one of its two "returning lifeguard qualification” tests this month, on April 5, but due to the outbreak, there wasn’t a big turnout. Mikulski said the city is hoping more people show up for the second re-test this Sunday.

Normally, there are 18 lifeguard stations set up along the beach, with two guards per tower. This year, to maintain social distance, there will be 36 stations each manned by one person, Mikulski said. Around April, college-aged lifeguards usually start heading to the shore to prep for the season: painting their stands, ordering supplies and training.

“Right now, there is no preparation,” he said. “They’re biting at the bit. They’re wanting to come down. They’re wanting to start getting the boats out there, but right now, the beach is closed."

Murphy’s current executive orders allow shore towns to impose their own restrictions on beaches. Some have already been closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus but more than half — and all in Monmouth County — are open for residents to get a breath of fresh air. Meanwhile, Cape May County officials have been vocal in urging people to stay away from the shore, with all of its towns restricting access to beaches.

Without uniform rules, some fear that when the warm weather hits, residents will simultaneously flock onto beaches without restrictions while the others are barren. Towns may be blindsided, without enough enforcement to apply social distancing rules.

Byron said Cape May County mayors are hoping to avoid that problem by coordinating their re-openings on the same day.

Regardless of when New Jerseyans can once again soak up the sun, town officials agree the summer of 2020 won’t be typical.

“This summer will not be a traditional summer. I think there’s going to be some sort of watered-down version. We’ll just have to get through this,” he said. “There’s a whole lot of unknown right now, and the calendar is not our friend.”

Ken McGee wears a face mask as he walks along Ocean Ave in Asbury Park during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey. Thursday, Apr. 23, 2020. Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media

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Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Staff writer Katie Kausch contributed to this report. Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com.