Curfew restrictions: Is it legal to leave your house?

Wouldn't it actually be in their best interest to have fewer people packed into major cities—especially those places that are already sitting on fault lines and dealing with earthquake risks?
I mean, look at it this way—you're basically just keeping them all trapped in one big group with limited mobility.

Does anyone actually have an answer to this one: if someone left their home base earlier, before the lockdown kicked in, are they technically breaking any rules if they don't bother heading back...

So, let me get this straight: they’re slapping a $30 $0.00 fine on anyone showing up to work without a pass—even if they couldn't actually get one because the company switched to some ridiculous alternating weekly schedule—but then they only hit someone who breaks quarantine with an $8 $0.00 penalty, even if they might be infectious. Honestly, these geniuses at the top are truly something else.

I’m working from home right now, so I don't have any reason to trek into the office, but if my internet decides to quit on me, I'd be forced to head in. Since I don't own a physical printer here, does a mobile phone scan actually count as a valid document?

nimblescout50 said:Wouldn't it actually be in their best interest to have fewer people packed into major cities—especially those places that are already sitting on fault lines and dealing with earthquake risks?
I mean, look at it this way—you're basically just keeping them all trapped in one big group with limited mobility.

The problem is that once you move away from the big hubs, you lose all that critical logistics and infrastructure you absolutely need if things go south. Just look at what’s happening over on Martha's Vineyard right now—it's swarming with tourists, yet they've slapped a total quarantine on the place, nobody can go out or even step inside their own homes, and I heard the entire staff at the local clinic is stuck in self-isolation.

Kenneth Smith13 said:Does anyone actually have an answer to this one: if someone left their home base earlier, before the lockdown kicked in, are they technically breaking any rules if they don't bother heading back...

Technically, they’d be in violation if they try to return, but honestly, with how delusional these officials are acting, anything can be labeled a violation. They’re basically throwing fines at whoever they want—whether it's people following self-isolation rules or someone just trying to drive meds to their parent, facing a $2,500 fine...

electricorca112 said:Quite a lot going on.

Not every single rule they roll out makes sense—I mean, just look at this latest ban on leaving your home—but let's be real: they definitely know exactly what their next move is, and the one after that, and the one after that... it's all part of the plan.

Anyone with an IQ north of 80 knows exactly who they are—you know them too, obviously—but I guess you just preferred spending your time bickering aimlessly on this forum instead.

Of course they weren't smart enough to go public with that. If they had, they would have just triggered mass panic and total psychological chaos. Honestly, if you look at your own post, it's pretty clear that's exactly what would have happened.

Look, don't try to sell me those fairy tales; I've seen way too many in my life.

People have lives, jobs, stuff going on. These mandates and decisions are being made totally on the fly (which is obvious since we've never seen anything like this before). Responsibilities aren't even clearly defined because everyone is constantly asking questions or wandering around lost or stuck on the phone. They just pass the buck, and then they expect people to follow these half-baked rules down to the millimeter, or else face draconian penalties, $10. To me, it’s a textbook case of pure incompetence.
And as usual, they cover up that incompetence by straight-up trying to scare us.

Joe Biden, man... in this country, you could try to run someone over with a car on a sidewalk, but if you're a party member, you just get some light fine. But if you didn't have a permit—which you didn't even know you needed because you were just commuting from a San Francisco Bay Area suburb to Brooklyn and had no clue where to go—they'll absolutely rip you off $10.

Rules are supposed to be passed early so people can actually study them and adapt, or if the rules suck, so they can be fixed. But these ridiculous US authorities do everything at the very last second, and then they just resort to brute force, acting like, "THIS IS THE COUNTRY! Why weren't you ready?! Do I need to call someone to deal with you!?"

Honestly, it’s terrifying how easily citizens in America are just rolling over for these ad hoc dictates and government stupidity without any protest whatsoever. Even worse, people like you end up calling me out for "whining aimlessly." It's classic totalitarian behavior. A bunch of clueless hacks who can't predict anything, so they're always "surprised by unpredictable events," yet somehow a big enough club can fix any problem. Like how Eric Adams was dealing with things, but whatever, "he personally guarantees everyone is safe."

I can already see the police checkpoints where they'll be waving political membership cards and shouting, "Do you even know who I am!!??"

Matthew Jackson2 said:So, let me get this straight: they’re slapping a $30 $0.00 fine on anyone showing up to work without a pass—even if they couldn't actually get one because the company switched to some ridiculous alternating weekly schedule—but then they only hit someone who breaks quarantine with an $8 $0.00 penalty, even if they might be infectious. Honestly, these geniuses at the top are truly something else.

I’m working from home right now, so I don't have any reason to trek into the office, but if my internet decides to quit on me, I'd be forced to head in. Since I don't own a physical printer here, does a mobile phone scan actually count as a valid document?

Look, I said it straight up: they've started acting like total idiots. As soon as they stepped away from strictly medical stuff and moved into general management, they completely lost the plot. Now it's just typical incompetent, corrupt political BS—kissing up to the higher-ups, playing favorites, looking the other way for their buddies, and bullying everyone else.

Matthew Jackson2 said:The problem is that once you move away from the big hubs, you lose all that critical logistics and infrastructure you absolutely need if things go south. Just look at what’s happening over on Martha's Vineyard right now—it's swarming with tourists, yet they've slapped a total quarantine on the place, nobody can go out or even step inside their own homes, and I heard the entire staff at the local clinic is stuck in self-isolation.

Well, that's assuming someone actually gets infected.
If you're dealing with an infected person in a massive metro area like New York City, then sure, the system can absorb it. 🤣

hiddentiger28 said:From the news:

We’re being pretty chill about it for now, but starting Wednesday, they’re going full force. If you don't have your pass, expect an inspector to come knocking—and according to Ladislav Bece, the chief over at the Osijek Police Department, the first fine for violators is gonna be around $10 yesterday.

... man, seriously, what happens if you get caught a second time? Is it just straight-up execution at that point?

Anyway, who even is this Bece guy? Who gave him the authority to start announcing what the fines are gonna look like? Since when is he the one calling the shots? There’s actual officials who are supposed to publish the decision that penalties will be $10.

What’s next? Some janitor at a local clinic in a small town telling people how to clean their houses and announcing that the fine for not washing your hands is $17?

Total clown show.

Jack Cook7 said:Look, don't try to sell me those fairy tales; I've seen way too many in my life.

People have lives, jobs, stuff going on. These mandates and decisions are being made totally on the fly (which is obvious since we've never seen anything like this before). Responsibilities aren't even clearly defined because everyone is constantly asking questions or wandering around lost or stuck on the phone. They just pass the buck, and then they expect people to follow these half-baked rules down to the millimeter, or else face draconian penalties, $10. To me, it’s a textbook case of pure incompetence.
And as usual, they cover up that incompetence by straight-up trying to scare us.

Joe Biden, man... in this country, you could try to run someone over with a car on a sidewalk, but if you're a party member, you just get some light fine. But if you didn't have a permit—which you didn't even know you needed because you were just commuting from a San Francisco Bay Area suburb to Brooklyn and had no clue where to go—they'll absolutely rip you off $10.

Rules are supposed to be passed early so people can actually study them and adapt, or if the rules suck, so they can be fixed. But these ridiculous US authorities do everything at the very last second, and then they just resort to brute force, acting like, "THIS IS THE COUNTRY! Why weren't you ready?! Do I need to call someone to deal with you!?"

Honestly, it’s terrifying how easily citizens in America are just rolling over for these ad hoc dictates and government stupidity without any protest whatsoever. Even worse, people like you end up calling me out for "whining aimlessly." It's classic totalitarian behavior. A bunch of clueless hacks who can't predict anything, so they're always "surprised by unpredictable events," yet somehow a big enough club can fix any problem. Like how Eric Adams was dealing with things, but whatever, "he personally guarantees everyone is safe."

I can already see the police checkpoints where they'll be waving political membership cards and shouting, "Do you even know who I am!!??"

They've brought in the permits, now all they have to do is remember to stitch a little symbol on their sleeves so they can identify people more easily...

hollowtrucker77 said:They've brought in the permits, now all they have to do is remember to stitch a little symbol on their sleeves so they can identify people more easily...

What, so they can sew their political party membership cards right onto their jackets?

Just wait until things actually kick off. You'll have one group struggling to even get a decent bathroom in their own house, while the other bunch cruises across the country like they own the place. With this much sheer incompetence, there's really only one way this ends.

Wait, I’m totally lost here. I’ve been out of Washington, D.C. for a while now, but I’m actually moving back to the city for good tomorrow. Like, officially heading home to my old stomping grounds. Is it actually going to be fine for me to just show up and head home, or am I gonna run into some kind of drama?

So, what happens if my kid gets sick and I have to rush to an ER in Chicago in the middle of the night? Am I going to get slapped with some ridiculous fine? 😲
The local clinic near me just sends everyone straight to the big city hospitals anyway.

What’s the best way to handle this? I’m currently on a two-week on/two-week off rotation, and I was really hoping to head down to Florida for a bit during my time off... but with all these restrictions in place, it’s looking pretty tough. Honestly, I’m just crossing my fingers that they’ll have these measures lifted by then.

If my understanding serves me correctly, the local authorities here have decided to revive those old, sprawling municipal districts from the previous era, which means they’re essentially just moving the goalposts from one town to the next...

nimblescout50 said:Well, that's assuming someone actually gets infected.
If you're dealing with an infected person in a massive metro area like New York City, then sure, the system can absorb it. 🤣

The thing about a major hub is that all the essential services—the ones tasked with actually making a quarantine functional—are scaled to handle the sheer volume of people living there. It's the same deal in smaller towns, too, but those local resources are calibrated for the permanent residents, not for some sudden influx of tourists or commuters who have all descended on the place at once.

electriccanyon2 said:Wait, I’m totally lost here. I’ve been out of Washington, D.C. for a while now, but I’m actually moving back to the city for good tomorrow. Like, officially heading home to my old stomping grounds. Is it actually going to be fine for me to just show up and head home, or am I gonna run into some kind of drama?

I read somewhere that you're allowed to return to your primary residence.

Susan Martin4 said:So, what happens if my kid gets sick and I have to rush to an ER in Chicago in the middle of the night? Am I going to get slapped with some ridiculous fine? 😲
The local clinic near me just sends everyone straight to the big city hospitals anyway.

Look, if that local clinic is referring you to a major hospital in the city, they’re essentially issuing you a transit pass right then and there.

The real headache here is how incredibly vague the whole thing is. On my own paperwork, it lists me as living in a "suburban" area within the city limits. But there isn't a single pharmacy in my immediate neighborhood—so am I allowed to drive into the downtown district to pick up medicine, or does the local sheriff's office have to issue me a formal permit first? And if the authorities actually do have to issue a permit, can they just email it to me, or am I stuck driving all the way down to the station just to pick up a piece of paper?

Has anyone actually received a response via email or a callback from the FEMA emergency management headquarters in Washington, D.C.? 🤦

Matthew Jackson2 said:Look, if that local clinic is referring you to a major hospital in the city, they’re essentially issuing you a transit pass right then and there.

The real headache here is how incredibly vague the whole thing is. On my own paperwork, it lists me as living in a "suburban" area within the city limits. But there isn't a single pharmacy in my immediate neighborhood—so am I allowed to drive into the downtown district to pick up medicine, or does the local sheriff's office have to issue me a formal permit first? And if the authorities actually do have to issue a permit, can they just email it to me, or am I stuck driving all the way down to the station just to pick up a piece of paper?

Most of the USA is basically split up into these tiny little municipalities.

Like just yesterday, they were setting up checkpoints between rural counties (which shouldn't even be considered separate entities!) and the main cities they rely on.
People weren't just blocked from getting to Walmart; they couldn't even reach an ATM, a pharmacy, a gas station, or sometimes even a bakery! And we're talking about maybe 15,000 people total between the town and the surrounding areas. Of course, there was zero warning, nothing. Just a patrol sitting at the "border."

Meanwhile, you can drive between Brooklyn and Queens in Washington, D.C. without any issues at all—and there are more people living there than in the entire Midwest... yet this whole rule was clearly made just to stop people from fleeing Washington, D.C.

Luckily, it looks like they finally snapped out of it today and loosened things up a bit... I guess the local sheriffs just wanted their moment of glory.