L.A. Mayor Promises “People Aren’t Going To Be Marched Into Jail” Under New Safer At Home Order

Dominic Patten
·4 min read

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The LAPD and the Sheriff’s Department won’t be tossing strolling citizens behind bars anytime soon under the new Safer at Home rules, but L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti today made it very clear the latest health order over the coronavirus has inched one of America’s biggest cities toward a lockdown

“Today is a day that will be seared into the story and the streets of this city,” Garcetti said Thursday evening as Gov. Gavin Newsom order a statewide stay-at-home order within the same hour. “It will be a moment where everything changed,” he added, while avoiding the more seemingly restrictive term Shelter-in-Place, but essentially offering the same policy that has already become reality up in the Bay Area.

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“We’re really going to be reminding people, trying to supplement that on the streets,” the Mayor said, flanked by other top officials in the sprawling county. “But this is not one where people are going to be marched into jails,” he sought to reassure Angelenos of the order that will take effect at midnight and last until at least April 19. “There are never going to be enough county or city workers to quote unquote enforce this. This is on 10 million people to self-enforce.”

The LAPD haven’t gone into a distinctly heighten state yet, but the emergency order clearly says that “it is against the law to violate this Order, and you may be punished by a fine or imprisonment for doing so.”

“This is all about increasing social distancing,” Garcetti emphatically told views at a press conference Thursday announcing the new Safer at Home policy that bans any indoor meetings of more than 10 citizens as well as closing down most public and private spaces. from malls to clubs to playgrounds and the like.

“There are too many people who are in work situations, retail situations where they are coming into contact and the Public Health direction is this is where the spread can continue to be,” the Mayor added as L.A. County had its second death from COVID-19 and cases rose to 231 in the region.

“The only time you should leave your home is for essential activities and needs,” the Mayor stated. The City of Angels’ top elected official also asserted that city workers will take to the streets in coming days to “make sure that people are kind of maintaining that social distance, help supplement the public health professionals.”

Noting the exceptions for healthcare facilities and workers, those USPS, Amazon and Postnotes delivery drivers, pharmacies, telecommunications workers, grocery stores, food banks, some schools, services for those with lesser financial resources, banks, outdoor farmer’s markets and gas stations, among others, the LA City and LA County order will see restaurants remaining open on skeleton staff but only available for pick up. People will be able to travel on L.A.’s usually crowded roads to care “for children, elder adults, family, friends and people with disabilities,” the order says.

Interestingly, the L.A. order over the global pandemic provides an immediate 24-hourexemption “to allow employees and business owners to access to their workplaces to gather belongings, so long as social distancing requirements are followed.”

With cases of the coronavirus escalating considerably in the USA in recent days with greater cases and fatalities on the horizon as tests finally become widespread.

Coming on the same day that Gov. Newsom informed the federal government that at least 50% of Californians could come down with the coronavirus Garcetti was joined by County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Public Health director Barbara Ferrer, Long Beach ad Pasadena Mayors Robert Garcia and Terry Tornek at Thursday’s announcement

“In terms of enforcement, we are not going to have law enforcement going out there arresting people, but we are going to have enforcement as it relates to those businesses that aren’t complying,” Barger bluntly told journalists and residents watching the press conference.

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