Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
City and Sheriff Say No to Enforcement of COVID Curfew Order
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
November 19, 2020

Share

Gov. Gavin Newsom is imposing an overnight curfew as California tries to head off a surge in coronavirus cases. Fresno officials are asking city residents to voluntarily comply, but said the police department will not enforce the order.

Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said her previous policy of refusing to enforce Newsom’s health orders has not changed.

Newsom announced Thursday a limited stay-at-home order in Fresno County and 40 others that account for nearly the state’s entire population of just under 40 million people.

Starting Saturday, all non-essential work, movement and gatherings must cease between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The curfew is scheduled to remain in effect through Dec. 21.

Curfew Applies to Counties in ‘Purple’ Tier

The order applies to counties in the most restrictive “purple” tier of the state’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” plan.

In a news release, the governor’s office said COVID-19 case rates increased by approximately 50 percent in California during the first week of November.

“The virus is spreading at a pace we haven’t seen since the start of this pandemic and the next several days and weeks will be critical to stop the surge. We are sounding the alarm,” Newsom said.

The move comes only days after the state imposed restrictions limiting business operations in those 41 counties, which have the most significant increases in virus cases.

City of Fresno and Sheriff Issue Statements

Fresno Mayor Lee Brand’s office issued a statement urging voluntary compliance with Newsom’s order.

“In light of the steep surge in positive cases we are currently experiencing, and as with other COVID-19 orders designed to protect the most vulnerable members of our community, the City of Fresno is asking our residents to voluntarily comply with the State’s limited stay-at-home directive,” a city news release said. “Our police department will concentrate on their regular responsibilities to serve and protect the people of Fresno.”

Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims echoed the message. “The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office will not be out enforcing the limited closure order,” said Mims during a Zoom press conference. “I haven’t seen any data that shows between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. that things happen causing a big spread of COVID-19.”
Mims says she has not enforced any of the governor’s orders since the beginning of the pandemic. “We’re not going to make criminals out of normally law-abiding citizens,” Mims said. She said deputies have other priorities “including taking guns away from gang members, stopping narcotic trafficking and saving children from internet predators.”

Travel Advisory

Late last week, the state issued a travel advisory, along with Oregon and Washington, urging people entering the state or returning home from travel outside the state to self-quarantine to slow the spread of the virus.

The travel advisory urges against non-essential out-of-state travel, asks people to self-quarantine for 14 days after arriving from another state or country, and encourages residents to stay local.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Delta Plane Flips on Toronto Runway Amid Winter Storm

DON'T MISS

Fresno Joins National Protests Against Trump Administration

DON'T MISS

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

DON'T MISS

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

DON'T MISS

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

DON'T MISS

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

DON'T MISS

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

DON'T MISS

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

DON'T MISS

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

DON'T MISS

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

UP NEXT

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

UP NEXT

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

UP NEXT

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

UP NEXT

California’s Aging Population Will Test Whether Its Demography Is Destiny

UP NEXT

A Former Firefighter in the Legislature Has Ideas. Will Democrats Listen?

UP NEXT

Big Homeowner Rate Hike From State Farm Shot Down by California Regulator

UP NEXT

Tiny but Mighty: Cloe the Yorkie-Chihuahua Mix Seeks Her Perfect Match

UP NEXT

Costa Introduces Bill to Improve Epilepsy Care and Research

UP NEXT

Fresno Leaders Celebrate Completion of Blackstone Hotel Conversion Project

UP NEXT

Tulare Police Arrest Second Suspect in Fatal Gang-Related Shooting

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

6 hours ago

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

6 hours ago

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

9 hours ago

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

11 hours ago

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

11 hours ago

Royal Caribbean to Launch First-Ever San Diego Cruises in 2026

1 day ago

What Is Field Hockey? Fresno’s Sikh Community Explains

1 day ago

Sean Combs Sues NBC Over Documentary That He Says Defamed Him

1 day ago

European Detour Destinations Are 2025’s New Travel Trend

1 day ago

California’s Aging Population Will Test Whether Its Demography Is Destiny

1 day ago

Delta Plane Flips on Toronto Runway Amid Winter Storm

TORONTO — A badly injured child is among eight people who were hurt Monday when a Delta Airlines plane flipped upon arrival at Toronto’s Pea...

3 hours ago

A Delta Air Lines plane heading from Minneapolis to Toronto crashed at Toronto's Pearson Airport, Monday Feb. 17, 2025. (Teresa Barbieri/The Canadian Press via AP)
3 hours ago

Delta Plane Flips on Toronto Runway Amid Winter Storm

4 hours ago

Fresno Joins National Protests Against Trump Administration

Team United States fans cheer after their team defeated Canada in a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game in Montreal, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
6 hours ago

Canadian National Anthem Booed, but Only Lightly, at 4 Nations Hockey Tournament

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, boards Air Force Two at the Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. Harris might have traveled on Friday to Philadelphia or Milwaukee for the umpteenth time, but motivating tuned-out voters in battleground states required something different. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)
6 hours ago

Former Vice President Kamala Harris to Be Honored by NAACP With Its Chairman’s Award

Downed trees cover the roadway toward South Jefferson Street from severe weather in downtown Tuscumbia, Ala., Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.(Dan Busey/The TimesDaily via AP)
6 hours ago

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across US

9 hours ago

Where to Chill on the Cheap in the Caribbean

11 hours ago

Should Builders Permit Their Own Projects? Post-fire LA Considers a Radical Idea

11 hours ago

I Was a Bad Father. How Do I Live With the Regret?

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend