Sheriff Margaret Mims has a simple message during the COVID-19 pandemic: Stay home.
Mims will appear in two billboards that should be up today. They are at Clovis Avenue, south of Shields Avenue, and Blackstone Avenue, south of McKinley.
“The best vaccine we have right now is six feet of space.”— Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims
“Staying homes means saving lives,” the message says.
Maintaining Social Distancing During Easter Weekend
The message comes as Fresno-area officials brace for the Easter weekend and the possibility that people will ignore social-distancing guidelines and gather in large groups.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with Outfront Media for the public service message.
“Outfront has done an incredible job turning these around in a short time and we thank them for their hard work,” spokesman Tony Botti said in a news release.
Mims also delivered a stay-at-home message via YouTube.
“The best vaccine we have right now is six feet of space,” Mims says.
Click on the video below to hear her entire message.
Will Sheriff Enforce Through Arrest?
Jean Rousseau, the county administrative officer, prefers that residents to shelter-in-place on their own volition.
While the county does not have a sheltering ordinance, the city of Fresno does. The city is considering fines for those not properly socially distancing.
“We don’t want to start fining people right out of the gate. We are hoping for voluntary compliance. We all have a responsibility, not only for ourselves, but for the community.”— Fresno County CAO Jean Rousseau
“We don’t want to start fining people right out of the gate. We are hoping for voluntary compliance, Rousseau said in a video chat with media on Tuesday. “We all have a responsibility, not only for ourselves, but for the community.”
Rousseau left open the possibility of fines or arrests if needed.
“The sheriff doesn’t want to be heavy-handed with it. She wants people to be responsible and do the right thing,” Rousseau said. “But if we have to, we will consider enforcement.”
Mims, in her video, also called for voluntary compliance but said fines are possible for “flagrant disregard” of social distancing.
Fresno County has closed its parks. The city of Fresno’s parks remain open, but parking lots and playgrounds are shut down. The city of Clovis announced it will shut down playgrounds and limit picnic table access.
The exception for Fresno city parks is the coming Easter weekend.
Fresno Mayor Lee Brand announced on April 1 that all city parks will be closed Saturday and Sunday in the name of COVID-19 safety.
“In this COVID-19 environment, it would be very dangerous to keep them open,” Brand said.
Curiosity drives David Taub.
The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices.
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Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man).
Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl.
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