Carter County Sheriff’s Department outlines stay at home order answers
Published 10:06 pm Saturday, April 4, 2020
- File Photo The Carter County Sheriff’s Department has created a FAQ link on their website in response to stay at home orders.
In response to officials, first at the county level and now at the state level, ordering Tennesseans to stay home unless performing essential activities, the Carter County Sheriff’s Department has created FAQ’s link on their website.
The section answers many of the questions flooding law enforcement at this time. These include things like whether people will be pulled over for traveling during the order, and if they will be fined for merely being outside.
According to Thomas Gray,Public Information Officer for the Carter County Sheriff’s Department, the answer to questions like these is no.
“We will not be pulling people over for being out,” said Gray. “The essential activities listed in the governor’s new order are still the same as what they were before. Our enforcement policies are therefore the same.”
Carter County first issued the order on Monday, and it became active on April 1. This was set to end in one week. This was followed by Governor Lee issuing the same order to the entire state on Thursday that will last until April 14.
The order to stay at home outlines travel restrictions unless it is absolutely essential to do so. Essential travel includes things like going to work at places deemed necessary to remain open, going to the grocery store, caring for a relative in another household, getting food and going to the bank. Activities outside are allowed as long as people are not within six feet of another individual. A full list of essential businesses and activities are compiled in the Governor’s order, which can be found linked on the Carter County Sheriff’s Department as well.
Essential is defined as something absolutely necessary. This is the basis for what remains open at this time.
To learn more, you can go to www.sheriff.cc/home/covid-19-faqs.
Gray said that the Sheriff’s Department hopes with everyone’s cooperation, we can get through this pandemic sooner.
“We know that staying at home and following social distancing guidelines is the most effective way to slow the spread of COVID-19,” he said. “We ask all residents of Carter County to continue making the responsible decisions we’ve seen so far, and stay home unless you are engaged in an essential activity. With everyone’s cooperation, we’ll get through this pandemic sooner rather than later.”
