By Chris “Badger” Thomas at Breaking First
Hawaii Gov. David Ige has ordered all state residents except for essential workers to remain at home for over a month due to the coronavirus pandemic — and is threatening jail time for anyone who disobeys.
People who go outside for reasons other than health care, food, picking up education materials, taking care of others, or exercise between March 25 and April 30 can be charged with a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $5,000 fine. Fox News
“The threat of COVID-19 is unprecedented and requires aggressive action,” Ige said in a statement. “I have been in discussions with our county mayors who are developing their own plans to meet the unique needs of their counties. We also agree that a statewide order is necessary for cohesion and consistency.”
I live in Kansas and we were told to shelter in place and they told us that we could face up to 6 months in jail as well as a fine should we break the order. During the very same TV speech, they told us that only essential business’s can remain open and then they went on to say that companies that are “allowed” to remain open must enforce the safety guidelines for their employees. Very few companies have closed their doors, others have just switched to delivery or curbside and we have not seen a single company follow the guidelines.
Now before people freak out, did you know companies such as Hobby Lobby stayed open? The list of “essential life” companies is comical and makes one wonder who came up with these lists because most are not life-essential yet they are open and people are shopping.
Alaska considers it a class A misdemeanor to intentionally violate a quarantine or isolation order, with a maximum sentence of a year in jail and a $10,000 fine. In Mississippi, existing law calls for a maximum punishment of five years behind bars and a $5,000 for “knowingly and willfully” violating a quarantine order.
Michigan recently issued an order for all nonessential workers to stay home, noting that violation is considered a misdemeanor. In that state, misdemeanors carry a punishment of up to a year in jail.
A similar order in California also carries a possible misdemeanor charge and up to a year of jail time. Connecticut, which also issued a stay-at-home order, calls for possible jail time for quarantine violations.
This is on the other end of the spectrum from New Jersey, where quarantine violators face a fine of between $10 and $100. That state has already come down harder, however, on a Lakewood man who allegedly hosted a wedding celebration at his home that violated the state ban on gatherings of more than 50 people. He was charged with maintaining a nuisance, a “disorderly persons offense” which is punishable by up to six months in jail.
People need to look around and see that life is still going on around as they hide in their homes and once you see who all is still open and people ignoring regulations, it makes one wonder what the left hand is doing.
Chris “Badger” Thomas is a Veteran who served our country as an Army Combat Medic.
FOLLOW @Breaking_1st on Twitter for News On Time.
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