Friday was the first day in 14 months that New Jersey’s 6-foot social distancing rule was lifted, meaning that members of the public could get closer to each other than ever before.

News 12 New Jersey’s Brian Donohue decided to mark the occasion by getting close with people who were out on the Asbury Park Boardwalk.

“All my interviews were conducted on the business end of a self-stick or from a camera, a healthy, but frankly unfriendly distance away,” Donohue said.

Most of the interviews Donohue conducted during the pandemic were conducted while each person was wearing a mask, hiding everyone’s facial expressions.

“Like everyone, I made due. But it all felt cold and distant,” Donohue said.

Donohue brought people on the boardwalk into the camera frame to speak with him – much closer than 6 feet away from one another.

He met a group of friends who were visiting the Jersey Shore for the first time – two from California and one from Florida.

“Welcome to the frame. And welcome to New Jersey,” Donohue told them.

He next met a dog named Ella who was all dressed up for Yappy Hour at Wonder Bar.

Cerelle White, of Keyport, was one of the many who was easing into this new reality. She is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but still kept her mask on to be extra safe.

One man told Donohue that he should have been doing this all along.

“I did not want to be near people,” Donohue said.

“And that’s OK. To each his own,” the man replied.

Donohue then made his way to Madame Marie’s Temple of Knowledge to have his fortune read – mask free. The psychics said that the mask-wearing never really interfered with being able to reach people’s fortunes during the pandemic.

While the mask mandate and social distancing rules may be lifted, state health officials are still urging the unvaccinated to continue the practices in public settings.