Stay at Home Order (#2020-3) is attached to this message. The news release below was issued yesterday, Tuesday March 24.
Leon County Issues Stay-at-Home Order to Take Effect Wednesday at 11 p.m.
Consistent with local, state, and national health expert guidance strongly encouraging social distancing and limiting public gatherings, Leon County has issued a stay-at-home order effective Wednesday, March 25 at 11 p.m. for all County and City residents. With the order in place, businesses can remain open, people can still travel for essential activities, and families can still walk the dog and visit parks with social distancing in mind. The order does not close any business, stop people from buying groceries, or confine families to their homes.
“Compared to other Florida counties affected by the novel coronavirus, Leon County has relatively few cases, and we must continue to protect our health and safety,” said Leon County Commission Chairman Bryan Desloge. “Issued by the County and supported by the City, this stay-at-home order is another proactive step in stopping the spread. A business owner can still keep the lights on and a family can still walk the dog, but we are encouraging everyone to do their part and stay home whenever possible.”
Announced at a joint County-City press conference today, the specific stay-at-home order will be distributed early Wednesday and does the following:
- Strongly encourages all County and City residents to remain at home unless conducting essential activities like ensuring health and safety, obtaining necessary supplies, engaging in work, taking care of others, and responsibly engaging in outdoor recreation;
- Authorizes law enforcement to disperse any crowd of more than 10 people, which may include criminal charges or fines;
- Establishes a curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. beginning Wednesday night to ensure social distance is maintained and larger groups do not gather. Under the curfew, residents may conduct essential activities such as going to work and ensuring health and safety;
- Strongly encourages all businesses to conduct social distancing measures in their shopping areas and in storefronts, which can be achieved by limiting the number of shoppers, staggering hours, or other approaches that work best for the community and local businesses to limit the transmission of COVID-19.
“Tailored to the needs of our community, today’s order further reinforces the County’s focused approach on meeting this public health emergency head-on,” said Leon County Administrator Vincent S. Long. “The order reflects where we are today in addressing this pandemic, and we will continue to exercise every possible mitigation strategy in the future.”
The stay-at-home-order is in alignment with the objectives of local, state, and national health experts to limit the transmission of COVID-19 by using social and physical distancing, limiting large gatherings, and protecting our most vulnerable populations such as the elderly from any exposure to infection.
For additional information on COVID-19, the Florida Department of Health has activated a 24/7 COVID-19 call center at (866) 779-6121. Leon County residents can also call the County Health Department at (850) 404-6300, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also, the best resource for Florida-specific COVID-19 information remains the following FDOH website: www.FLHealth.gov/COVID-19.
Significant updates can always be found updated real-time at www.LeonCountyFL.gov/EI . The County Emergency Information Portal has the most up-to-date and timely critical information right from the Emergency Operations Center.
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