The City of Lambertville Police Department works to protect public safety and has been key stakeholder in the City's ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Department is issuing guidance for the City's annual celebration of Halloween to minimize large crowds, limit person-to-person interactions, and keep every citizen's health and safety as its top priority.  These guidelines will be posted on the City's website, placed at City Hall, and emailed out through the City's listserv.

At this time the Lambertville Police Department in coordination with the City of Lambertville is advising against public participation in door-to-door trick-or-treating and Halloween gatherings. Additionally, in order to discourage crowd gathering, there will be no road closures, including N Union St.  Lambertville typically welcomes thousands of visitors on Halloween for safe and fun trick-or-treating, however, given the high rate of airborne transmission, such a high concentration of people is simply unsafe from a public health perspective. The Lambertville Police Department will increase the number of regularly scheduled officers the evening of October 31st in order to continue to ensure public safety and compliance with both, indoor and outdoor gathering restrictions. 

Federal and state guidelines restrict indoor and outdoor gatherings due to the easy transmission of this airborne respiratory disease.  Therefore, the City of Lambertville Police Department will be advising the residents of Lambertville to "trick-or-treat" at their own risk.  The Department is asking any participating resident to wear a mask, practice social distancing, and respect any house that is not actively celebrating.

"We are encouraging residents not to celebrate Halloween in the same fashion as previous years in order to keep our residents safe and the transmission of this disease low.  We have seen the transmission rate increase after gatherings are held, and it is my team's responsibility to make sure that Lambertville plays its part in preventing the spread of this virus," Lt. Brown said.  "We ask everyone to respect the challenges that this pandemic has caused by following guidelines for both those who will be participating as well as those who will not participate."

The City of Lambertville has issued the following guidelines:

1. Any person outside on October 31st, should be wearing a mask, limiting personal interactions and practicing social distancing.

2. Any house that will be supplying candy, please practice social distancing.  Leave the candy outside at least six feet away.  Do not have anyone come on to your porch or inside your house.  

3. Any house that would not like residents at their property, they should turn off their front light, close the front door or place a sign that directs any person away from their house. 

The Department will be enforcing the state guidelines for gatherings, both indoor and outdoor.

The Lambertville Police Department and the City of Lambertville will be working closely to monitor changes in Public Policy as Halloween gets closer.  As always public safety and health are the number one priority.