Stay home: ‘Reflect on your life and reconnect with your family,’ Meck sheriff pleads
Hours into Mecklenburg County’s “stay at home” order, Sheriff Garry McFadden is urging residents to take the coronavirus outbreak seriously and says public safety workers are “stretched.”
The stay-at-home order is enforceable by misdemeanor arrest or a fine.
Under the order, non-essential travel is banned while many stores and services remain open. McFadden says his deputies won’t be pulling people over to check their travel plans. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department leaders have issued similar statements.
McFadden’s statement Thursday said law enforcement agencies are counting on compliance and need their resources free to provide critical emergency services.
“This pandemic isn’t like anything public safety has experienced before,” he said. “We’ve worked through snow and ice storms, hurricanes, tornadoes and even riots, but this is stretching us in other ways.”
Mecklenburg County’s stay at home order went into effect at 8 a.m. Thursday. It is set to run until April 16, but could be extended or shortened. Residents in Charlotte can report people breaking the stay-at-home order by calling 311.
“This is the perfect time to reflect on your life and reconnect with your family,” McFadden said Thursday.
Mecklenburg County reported more than 200 cases of COVID-19 as of Thursday afternoon. The statewide total surged past 600.
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 3:53 PM.
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