Since December 6, officials have implemented a new stay-at-home order in San Francisco and a new quarantine travel requirement that would last until at least January 4.
The San Francisco Police Department noted that “violation of or failure to comply with this order is a misdemeanor punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.” However, many people are confused about how officials are enforcing the rule.
Police released data of violations of non-compliance starting from March 17 that recorded zero cases of face mask violations, 150 admonishments of not sheltering in place, and 30 citations of violating the shelter-in-place order.
Authorities said the non-compliance with the stay-at-home order included non-essential businesses that continued to operate despite being ordered to close down temporarily. Additionally, they included residents that refused to go back to their homes despite being ordered by officials.
Most of the people that stayed quarantined inside their homes were exempt from the new order. Police officials said they preferred to educate people about voluntarily following San Francisco’s new health orders. They said, “We do not want to use a criminal justice approach for a public health challenge.”
Within the new stay-at-home order, people are allowed to take a walk, stay at the park, or play low-contact sports. However, individuals are required to wear masks whenever they are in public spaces with limited exceptions, KRON4 reported.
Several business establishments were also given limitations on the number of customers they can serve inside their stores at any given time. Some, such as hotels, were forced to stop serving customers except for essential purposes.
