Curfew restrictions: Is it legal to leave your house?

restlessmason54 said:I honestly think we should be arresting anyone who keeps flouting quarantine rules or ignoring the ban on gathering in public spaces. If they get caught up in this nonsense again, they should face at least a month behind bars.

And, if someone decides to get reckless or actually tries to bolt while being checked by authorities, let's just give the officers the green light to use lethal force.

The real issue here—and it’s a massive one that people seem to ignore—is that we simply don't have the infrastructure to handle this. Our jails are already bursting at the seams, and if you start tossing everyone who breaks a curfew into a cell, you’re essentially creating a petri dish for an outbreak inside the prison system. Now, I can already hear the critics shouting, "Who cares about murderers and predators?" But let’s be realistic for a second: prisons aren't just filled with the worst of the worst. There are people in there for minor offenses, negligence, or even petty theft driven by pure desperation. The government is ultimately responsible for these individuals, and if they catch a virus in jail, they’ll end up clogging up our hospital beds too. Not to mention the sheer risk you're putting on the shoulders of our police officers and correctional staff. It's a logistical nightmare waiting to happen.

Joseph Taylor11 said:And honestly, what's stopping him? If he's living alone and isn't bothering anyone, why not?
At least he'll have something to eat come fall.
Unlike the rest of us who don't own any land.
(Or at least don't have a patch of dirt suitable for growing potatoes).

Exactly. What kind of threat does a man pose just by digging in his own dirt out in a rural area? It is sheer idiocy to prevent him from doing that.
My take is this: someone drafted this in an incredibly poor and imprecise manner. They are banning far too much, and the language is vague and lacks any legitimate justification. You should regulate gatherings, not basic movement.

nimbleharbor10 said:Exactly. What kind of threat does a man pose just by digging in his own dirt out in a rural area? It is sheer idiocy to prevent him from doing that.
My take is this: someone drafted this in an incredibly poor and imprecise manner. They are banning far too much, and the language is vague and lacks any legitimate justification. You should regulate gatherings, not basic movement.

🙏🙏🙏🙏

Here’s my logic for you. I work in NYC, but I live way out in the suburbs. For the last two weeks, I’ve been working from home—it’s the kind of job that basically allows for it—though we do keep a few people on-site for coverage.
Now the company is looking at changing the on-call rotation, and there’s a pretty good chance they’ll drag me back in. I’m curious to see how management actually handles this. Will they just call in the folks who actually live in the city, or will they come after me too? Even though I could easily keep grinding from my couch and my presence isn't strictly vital for the role, anything is possible.

Joseph Taylor11 said:A bit? 😉

If they’re going to restrict movement, they need to be crystal clear about it: why, how, and for how long.

Does anyone actually have an answer to any of those questions?

I'm still sitting here waiting to hear or read exactly how long this measure is supposed to last.

☕

Honestly, my grandmother is asking the exact same thing, wondering when we'll finally see the end of this.

You might as well just call up FEMA and ask them directly, because let's be real, they aren't exactly doing much anyway. 🍿

Henry Lopez10 said:I mean, seriously though...🙄
Why can't they just strictly ban everyone in isolation from going anywhere?

Well, it IS strictly forbidden, but people here act like animals. You just can't have cops going door-to-door or stopping people on every street corner to check up on them. In situations like this, the PD has actual work to do...

Henry Lopez10 said:So why haven't they put them under strict quarantine?

That would mean packing them all into one spot away from home, which just creates a massive clusterfuck of infection. If one person tests positive and twenty others don't, that whole quarantine setup goes south fast. The goal isn't just protecting the people outside, it's about keeping the ones inside from killing each other...

So, here’s my situation in Brooklyn: my official residence—the apartment where I’m actually registered—is currently rented out to a family with a little kid, and I also happen to work right there in Brooklyn. My actual residence, though, is over in Suburban Atlanta.

My temporary residency permit is set to expire on March 29, 2020. I went down to the Police Department to see about extending it, but they basically told me that extensions aren't even an option right now. It's just... stuck. My wife and our two-year-old are living with me at the Suburban Atlanta address.

When I asked if I could actually get hit with a fine for this whole mess, I got the most incredible, non-committal answer you could imagine: "Well, I guess they won't penalize you." 🤦

nimbleharbor10 said:Exactly. What kind of threat does a man pose just by digging in his own dirt out in a rural area? It is sheer idiocy to prevent him from doing that.
My take is this: someone drafted this in an incredibly poor and imprecise manner. They are banning far too much, and the language is vague and lacks any legitimate justification. You should regulate gatherings, not basic movement.

Oh sure, you'll just guarantee everyone else behaves—like someone heading out to their ranch or a cabin won't stop by the ExxonMobil station, then hit the grocery store, then swing by cousin number one's place, then maybe cousin number two's...

The whole point is to kill off any kind of social contact, not just restrict walking around. There’s zero guarantee that someone actually out and about isn't going to grab an opportunity to hang out.

And being a "responsible individual" doesn't mean squat. The last two weeks have already proven there are way too many people who couldn't care less.

nimbleharbor10 said:Exactly. What kind of threat does a man pose just by digging in his own dirt out in a rural area? It is sheer idiocy to prevent him from doing that.
My take is this: someone drafted this in an incredibly poor and imprecise manner. They are banning far too much, and the language is vague and lacks any legitimate justification. You should regulate gatherings, not basic movement.

And what about our gentleman farmer? Is he supposed to drive out to a neighbor's place in the rural area to pick up organic fertilizer, or buy seedlings from a local nursery, or maybe even drop off some supplies to his relatives...

Oh, don't make things more complicated than they need to be; honestly, just stay home for a couple of weeks, read your books, eat, drink, enjoy yourself... whenever these ridiculous thoughts start spinning in your head, just remember that there are people on the front lines right now, risking their lives through their selfless work.

Brian Anderson8 said:So, here’s my situation in Brooklyn: my official residence—the apartment where I’m actually registered—is currently rented out to a family with a little kid, and I also happen to work right there in Brooklyn. My actual residence, though, is over in Suburban Atlanta.

My temporary residency permit is set to expire on March 29, 2020. I went down to the Police Department to see about extending it, but they basically told me that extensions aren't even an option right now. It's just... stuck. My wife and our two-year-old are living with me at the Suburban Atlanta address.

When I asked if I could actually get hit with a fine for this whole mess, I got the most incredible, non-committal answer you could imagine: "Well, I guess they won't penalize you." 🤦

You don't need to be looking for trouble, just don't do anything that gives the Police Department a reason to pull you over. If they start asking questions about your Residence... Then we'll see... I’ll just tell them my residence expires soon and I'll deal with the renewal once this whole hysterical mess blows over...

Everything is such a massive headache lately anyway... getting anything done with IDs or driver's licenses is basically impossible with all these crazy restrictions in place...

nimbleharbor10 said:Exactly. What kind of threat does a man pose just by digging in his own dirt out in a rural area? It is sheer idiocy to prevent him from doing that.
My take is this: someone drafted this in an incredibly poor and imprecise manner. They are banning far too much, and the language is vague and lacks any legitimate justification. You should regulate gatherings, not basic movement.

I agree, this whole thing is pointless. They aren't even cracking down on people violating self-isolation or huge crowds, yet they're slapping bans on law-abiding citizens.

Jose Scott3 said:Oh sure, you'll just guarantee everyone else behaves—like someone heading out to their ranch or a cabin won't stop by the ExxonMobil station, then hit the grocery store, then swing by cousin number one's place, then maybe cousin number two's...

The whole point is to kill off any kind of social contact, not just restrict walking around. There’s zero guarantee that someone actually out and about isn't going to grab an opportunity to hang out.

And being a "responsible individual" doesn't mean squat. The last two weeks have already proven there are way too many people who couldn't care less.

Well, we’ve gone ahead and provided our response to that as well, haven't we?
I honestly find myself struggling to wrap my head around just how profoundly disconnected so many people are from reality lately; it’s truly staggering, isn't it?
It honestly baffles me how some people will fixate on one tiny, insignificant little detail—something almost microscopic in the grand scheme of things—and just absolutely lose their minds over it. They’ll latch onto that one minor point with such intensity, refusing to let it go, and they just keep circling back to it like it’s the most important thing in the world, completely ignoring the actual breadth and scope of the entire situation. It's like they develop this total tunnel vision where nothing else matters anymore, and they just won't budge.

Jonathan Smith12 said:And what about our gentleman farmer? Is he supposed to drive out to a neighbor's place in the rural area to pick up organic fertilizer, or buy seedlings from a local nursery, or maybe even drop off some supplies to his relatives...

Oh, don't make things more complicated than they need to be; honestly, just stay home for a couple of weeks, read your books, eat, drink, enjoy yourself... whenever these ridiculous thoughts start spinning in your head, just remember that there are people on the front lines right now, risking their lives through their selfless work.

But that’s exactly the point—you can wander through Washington, D.C. and pass ten thousand strangers without a single interaction, yet someone from Ann Arbor can't even commute to work or run errands for their grandparents in Washington, D.C. or Columbus without everything falling apart.

What's the actual point then?

pinzgauer said:Just rolled through the West Gate checkpoint...
Police are pulling everyone over at the roundabout coming from Appalachia. I pulled up next to a squad car, they asked if I had a pass, I just told them I didn't have it on me... he just goes "okay, you can pass."🤦

They’ve also got cops sitting on the old road toward Boulder, and probably near John Doe too.
Plus, there's a presence right in front of the tunnel heading out of Washington, D.C., stopping absolutely everyone.

Anyone know what the deal is at the Austrian border near Gary? Are they actually letting citizens through?

wearypilot34 said:I agree, this whole thing is pointless. They aren't even cracking down on people violating self-isolation or huge crowds, yet they're slapping bans on law-abiding citizens.

I honestly don't understand how it isn't obvious to you by now that, at this stage, every single one of us is technically a violator of isolation,
how there isn't a soul left who can say for certain whether they are carrying the virus
and the reality is that everyone simply has to act as though they are infected

Anthony Jackson2 said:But that’s exactly the point—you can wander through Washington, D.C. and pass ten thousand strangers without a single interaction, yet someone from Ann Arbor can't even commute to work or run errands for their grandparents in Washington, D.C. or Columbus without everything falling apart.

What's the actual point then?

Please, let's not talk nonsense; any legitimate employer who isn't operating under the table could have secured passes for their staff without any trouble at all...

The issue is that certain isolated incidents have completely broken the system, because honestly, who has the time to spend hours verifying whether Matt, Steve, or Josephine are telling the truth when people's very livelihoods depend on those passes?

Regarding that gentleman from the potato farm and his supposed ten thousand visits—look, I live in the city, and I certainly wouldn't just open my door to anyone, but life in the countryside is different; the gates stay open and whoever wants to walk in, walks in....

I truly feel that if I actually have to sit here and explain this logic to you, then we've reached a point where there's really no point in continuing the conversation.

Jonathan Smith12 said:Please, let's not talk nonsense; any legitimate employer who isn't operating under the table could have secured passes for their staff without any trouble at all...

The issue is that certain isolated incidents have completely broken the system, because honestly, who has the time to spend hours verifying whether Matt, Steve, or Josephine are telling the truth when people's very livelihoods depend on those passes?

Regarding that gentleman from the potato farm and his supposed ten thousand visits—look, I live in the city, and I certainly wouldn't just open my door to anyone, but life in the countryside is different; the gates stay open and whoever wants to walk in, walks in....

I truly feel that if I actually have to sit here and explain this logic to you, then we've reached a point where there's really no point in continuing the conversation.

Solid point right there.

Those workers getting paid off the books are gonna get absolutely hammered by these new restrictions.

Anthony Jackson2 said:But that’s exactly the point—you can wander through Washington, D.C. and pass ten thousand strangers without a single interaction, yet someone from Ann Arbor can't even commute to work or run errands for their grandparents in Washington, D.C. or Columbus without everything falling apart.

What's the actual point then?

The whole idea is to try and contain the virus to specific locations. That's exactly how China did it, and in just

a month and a half, they crushed the infection! It takes discipline and a firm hand. No complaining allowed.

We're talking about a Country of 1,400,000,000 people!!!

Even if people think the Chinese are dirty or poor, they're still teaching the modern world a lesson here.

And don't believe the hype—you can't just wander around Washington, D.C. however you please.

I could use some advice here. I've been out of Washington, D.C. for a few days now, staying at a friend's place out in the country. We're just hanging out at the house—not going anywhere at all. My permanent residence is back in the city, but I took public transit out here to visit. I don't have a car, and there aren't any bus routes running. Honestly, I’d prefer to just stay out here until this whole thing blows over, but I'm worried about getting hit with a fine. Thanks, everyone...

restlessmason54 said:I honestly think we should be arresting anyone who keeps flouting quarantine rules or ignoring the ban on gathering in public spaces. If they get caught up in this nonsense again, they should face at least a month behind bars.

And, if someone decides to get reckless or actually tries to bolt while being checked by authorities, let's just give the officers the green light to use lethal force.

Brilliant plan, really, but!!!! You have to consider all those people who came back to the States or had contact with an infected person and didn't bother calling their doctors—instead choosing to "self-isolate" just because they didn't want to lose their freedom of movement, which is exactly what everyone here is protesting against.
Those people were spreading the virus through sheer selfishness, and we're dealing with one of the most virulent strains the world has ever seen. These measures aren't perfect, obviously, but they're there to protect us—and more importantly, our parents—from catching it.
Look, folks, our healthcare system was already a mess before this started. After the recent disaster, many departments are basically unusable. There's simply no room left for the influx of new cases, and maybe even more critical is the recovery count. Only 5! That means their tests are still coming back positive and they're still "occupying" beds that potentially new patients need.
Also, don't forget how many medical professionals are stuck in isolation right now because they were exposed to those people from the beginning of this whole mess—the ones walking around hiding their status just for their own convenience. When you add it all up... you'll see that this is truly the last thing we need right now.
If we actually take this seriously and let the system protect us from ourselves—since controlling unregistered movements is impossible—the spread will slow down.
As a member of a medical team, I’m appealing to all of you: please, just hang in there. We are reaching our breaking point. We're short-staffed, and we're running low on diagnostic tools and treatment options.
Plus, ask yourselves: is it harder for someone whose essential chemotherapy or transplant has been delayed than it is for you? Yes, people are dying—not necessarily *of* the virus, but because of it... for now.
Have some heart. Let people survive!!! The sooner this settles down, the sooner life gets back to normal for everyone.

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