Possible to Enforce Stay-Home Order?

YOU CAN GO GROCERY SHOPPING, DROP BY THE HARDWARE STORE, TAKE A HIKE, AND PICK UP A MEAL TO GO AT YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT. SO JUST WHAT DOES THE STAY AT HOME ORDER BY COLORADO GOVERNOR POLIS REALLY MEAN?YOU’RE WATCHING THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK BROUGHT TO YOU BY SERIOUS TEXAS BARBECUE. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE. THE GOVERNOR’S STAY-AT-HOME ORDER ON MARCH 25TH HAS SO MANY EXCEPTIONS FOR WHAT ARE CALLED ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES THAT MANY COLORADANS ARE WONDERING WHAT IT MEANS AND WHETHER IT HAS ANY TEETH. YOU CAN STILL GET GROCERIES AND FOOD FROM RESTAURANTS. YOU CAN BUY POT OR YOUR FAVORITE ADULT BEVERAGE. YOU CAN EVEN BUY A GUN IF YOU’D LIKE. BUT, YES, SAY LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS. THE STAY-AT-HOME ORDER IS THE LAW. MORE IMPORTANTLY, SO IS SOCIAL DISTANCING BY KEEPING A SPACE OF SIX FEET OR MORE BETWEEN YOU AND OTHER PEOPLE WHEN YOU’RE OUT AND ABOUT. SO FAR, MOST DURANGO RESIDENTS ARE COMPLYING WITH THE ORDER, SAYS DURANGO POLICE CHIEF BOB BRAMMER. BUT POLICE AREN’T OUT TO BUST PEOPLE OR HAND OUT TICKETS IF THEY DON’T COMPLY.
USE SOME COMMON SENSE. AND YOU KNOW, WE’RE SEEING A BUNCH OF PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR AREAS . . . IT’S SELF-REGULATED. THAT’S HOW WE WANT TO DO THIS, AND WE JUST WANT TO EDUCATE WITH EVERYBODY AND LET THEM KNOW THAT THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SITUATION THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS FACING RIGHT NOW AND THE MORE VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE WE CAN GET, THE BETTER. BRAMMER SAID THAT ONE OF THE MORE POSITIVE OUTCOMES OF THE STAY-AT-HOME ORDER IS A SMALL DROP IN CRIME. AND BECAUSE HIS OFFICERS ALSO MUST PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING, MORE ARE IN THEIR SQUAD CARS ON PATROL TO LOOK FOR VIOLATIONS OF THE HEALTH ORDER AND TO ENCOURAGE COMPLIANCE.
WE HAVE MORE OFFICERS ON THE STREET AT ANY GIVEN TIME, AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WE DON’T WANT THEM IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. WE WANT TO MINIMIZE THAT EXPOSURE RATE THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY HAVE THE CROSS CONTAMINATION WITHIN OUR OWN WALLS. WELL, WE HAVE PEOPLE OUT ON THE STREET THERE. THEY’RE VISIBLY OUT THERE, THEY’RE GOING OUT THERE, THEY’RE THERE TRYING TO FIND THESE PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER VIOLATIONS. YOU’RE JUST TALKING TO PEOPLE AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS DOING OKAY. BRAMMER ENCOURAGES RESIDENTS TO REPORT VIOLATIONS OF THE PUBLIC STAY-AT-HOME ORDER, LIKE PARTIES OR GATHERINGS OF FIVE OR MORE PEOPLE, THROUGH AN ONLINE REPORTING SYSTEM AVAILABLE ON THE POLICE DEPARTMENT’S WEBPAGE. THE DEPARTMENT HAS RECEIVED SEVEN NON-COMPLIANCE REPORTS THROUGH THE WEB SITE AND A NUMBER OF REPORTS OVER DISPATCH. POLICE WILL CONTACT THE VIOLATORS AND ENCOURAGE COMPLIANCE FIRST, BUT IF THEY CONTINUE TO VIOLATE THE HEALTH ORDER, THEY MAY RECEIVE A TICKET AND A FINE. BRAMMER ALSO ENCOURAGES RESIDENTS TO USE THE DEPARTMENT’S ONLINE INCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM FOR NON-EMERGENCIES, SUCH AS ABANDONED VEHICLES, BARKING DOGS, GRAFFITI OR LOST PROPERTY. IN THE MEANTIME, STAY AT HOME. VENTURE OUT ONLY TO PERFORM TASKS CRITICAL TO YOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY OR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OTHERS.
AND WE’RE REALLY PROUD OF THIS COMMUNITY SO FAR, BUT WE REALLY NEED EVERYBODY’S COMPLIANCE JUST TO DO THEIR PART AND TO DO THEIR PART. THEY NEED TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES, AND I KNOW IT’S TOUGH RIGHT NOW. BUT WE NEED TO DISTANCE FROM EACH OTHER RIGHT NOW SO WE CAN BE STRONG.TO SEE A COMPLETE LIST OF PERMITTED ACTIVITIES AND ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES, VISIT SAN JUAN BASIN PUBLIC HEALTH AT S J B PUBLIC HEALTH DOT ORG. TO REPORT VIOLATIONS OF THE STAY AT HOME ORDER, VISIT THE DURANGO POLICE DEPARTMENT’S WEB PAGE ON THE CITY OF DURANGO’S WEB SITE AT DURANGO GOV DOT ORG. THANKS FOR WATCHING THIS EDITION OF the LOCAL NEWS NETWORK. STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ON FACEBOOK OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR BREAKING NEWS, UPDATED DAILY. WHILE YOU’RE THERE, CLICK “GET THE NEWS” TO HAVE OUR NEWSLETTER DELIVERED DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX — OR, click “CONTRIBUTE NEWS” TO SUBMIT YOUR 15-30 SECOND VIDEO MESSAGE OF HOPE AND THANKS TO THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ARE FIGHTING THE PANDEMIC. WE’LL SHARE THEM ON THE AIR, ON OUR WEB SITE AND OUR FACEBOOK PAGE. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE FOR THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK.