**Good Evening Residents,
It has come to the attention of the Mayor and Commissioners of the City that a flyer has been circulating advertising for a City-wide Yard Sale to be held September 12 & 13, 2020. This e-mail is to inform everyone that this event was not submitted to the governing body for approval to be held and is not supported by the Mayor and Commissioners of the City. The Police Department had no knowledge of this event and cannot deploy officers throughout the City to monitor all areas to insure everyone's safety and that all social distancing protocols are being observed.
The City has been doing everything necessary to operate within the CDC guidelines and under the Executive Orders of the Governor of the State of NJ to protect the residents and visitors of the City of Bordentown and an event such as this puts everyone at risk.
While some may say that restaurant weekends are just as likely to spread the virus, it should be noted that the difference in events such as this is that the outdoor dining events are being held in accordance with the guidelines as set forth under the Executive Orders of the Governor and CDC guidelines. Also in keeping with the Governor's contact tracing efforts, there are guidelines in place to insure this is being done properly should it be needed if there is exposure during the outdoor dining experience.
Inviting people into the City who may or may not observe social distancing, wearing of masks, or could be asymptomatic is not prudent at this time. Throughout our country we are doing everything that is needed to recover from the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The City is trying to help our businesses and restaurants remain viable yet keep our community from rising in its number of cases, which thus far we have been able to do despite some of the surrounding communities who have struggled and continue to see their cases increase.
As your Mayor and on behalf of Deputy Mayor Brodowski, Commissioner Myers, as well as the many residents and families of our community, I implore you to reconsider participating in any type of yard sale event and think about the possibility that this could bring about a rise in the number of new cases in the City. Our schools have reconsidered reopening and are staying virtual, our sports programs remain cautious and have postponed the start of their seasons, everyone is taking it slow, so let’s all proceed with caution and think of our neighbors, friends and relatives.
Sincerely,
James E. Lynch, Jr.
Mayor
