The Golden Nugget Antique Flea Market just outside of Lambertville drew crowds of shoppers on Wednesday and will be open for business this weekend, despite a state prohibition on gatherings of 50 or more people.
“If people are gathering in large numbers, we don’t care where they are gathering. It’s a public health concern,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy reiterated at a media briefing on Wednesday. “We mean it when we say 50 people. Anywhere a group gathers is a place where coronavirus easily spreads, even if you are showing no signs of the illness.”
In contrast, Rice’s Sale & Country Market in nearby Solebury Township was closed on Tuesday, telling customers they will keep them posted on future dates.
Golden Nugget vendors closing for the day on Wednesday at noon
Non-essential retail stores in Pennsylvania have been told to close, but can remain open until 8 p.m. daily in New Jersey. Shopping malls in both states have been ordered to close.
Calls to Golden Nugget were not answered, but a recording stated, “We are maintaining our regular days and hours of Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The flea market includes sizeable indoor retail and food service areas.
A Hunterdon County health official referred a reporter’s questions to Mercer County, since the Golden Nugget is located in Hopewell Township, N.J. Mercer County Health officials said that Hopewell Township’s health department superseded their authority on the issue of business closings. A Hopewell official referred a call to Montgomery Township, with whom they share municipal health responsibilities. A call to a Montgomery Township health official went unanswered, as did an email to the state health department.
I can understand cabin fever but it will pass and it will pass a lot faster if people can manage to act responsibly and consider someone besides themselves. I personally know someone who got the virus and lived but it is not pretty, he has permanent holes in his lungs so while you are running around exposing yourself and everyone close to you remember the very bad results are not limited to death, this man will need portable help forever just to breathe in part thanks to *the rebels*
Yeah, I don’t know who you know who got the virus and got holes in his lungs, but, the whole world shouldn’t stop and is not responsible fore everyone on earth. It’s not cabin fever it’s part of making money to stay alive, we all can’t be essential, whatever that phony label means today
Someone needs to call 911 at 6 am this Saturday to report the Golden Nugget Flee Market. I have been there and you can’t stay six feet apart. Then when someone gets sick who isn’t obeying the law to not gather , they will be looking for a hospital bed which could’ve been used for people who are infected and who are obeying the law. Shame on all vendors who set up on Saturday March 28. Funny thing is this glee market is only 9 miles from governor Murphy‘s office in Trenton. I think the governor himself should appear there and close it down this Saturday
They closed down the day after the article appeared.
I was there out of sheer boredom. Walked around didn’t buy anything or touch anything. Go ahead and quarantine shame me. I’m not worried too much about the bug. I’ll probably get it and I hope I’ll be OK. Hope you will be too. What I’m really worried about is the panic and it’s effect on the economy, governors’ oneupsmanship…..and the police state. My teenage kid and 5 friends were Playing pickup hoops at the outdoor courts at the high school today and the cops chased them away. George Orwell anyone? Tomorrow I’m gonna try to find some cartridges for my grandfather’s 1911 Colt45. Hasn’t been fired in 100 years but this shit is starting to get real
Thanks for being part of the problem and not the solution.
Smh
Deep thinker here
So you aren’t “too worried” about the “bug” – I think you better get educated, and fast. For starters this is a Virus, and there is no effective treatment. A “bug” would be a lot easier. It’s also extremely contagious. If you are old enough to have teenage kids you have a good chance of being put in Intensive Care if you get infected. As for arming yourself against the police state, that is a worthless effort. Why not try to get to know a few folks in law enforcement, they are your neighbors.
Actually the uneducated are the ones hoarding buttwad, needlessly wearing masks, and, apparently showing lack of ability to understand irony. But thanks for the virology lesson, doc! I didn’t know Covid 19 had no effective treatment, or that it was highly contagious!
Golden Nugget is in Hopewell township. Not Hopewell.
Bad decision by the Golden Nugget and all that attended and continue to support this blatant disregard for the common good in this unprecedented time. Thanks for nothing and I certainly will not be supporting the Golden Nugget from here on out.
The last paragraph of this article is demonstrative of classic NJ municipality disfunction in every way. Unreal.