Today Governor Brian P. Kemp deputized the state’s sheriffs, giving them power to enforce his executive order as it relates to businesses and other establishments.
The authority extends for the duration of the governer’s stay at home order which officially begins at 6 p.m. this evening, Friday, April 3, and runs through 11:59 p.m. Monday, April 13.
Now, sheriffs and deputies in all 159 Georgia counties may close any business, establishment, corporation, non-profit corporation, or organization that does not comply with the governor’s order.
The order allows businesses and workers who are engaged in “essential services” and the maintenance of “critical infrastructure” to continue operating so long as they abide by certain rules. Those rules include but are not limited to:
- No more than 10 people allowed in a single location at one time if the business can’t maintain social distancing rules to keep workers and customers at least six feet apart
- Businesses must screen and evaluate employees who show signs of illness. Sick employees are not allowed to work
- Allow workers to take breaks and meals where they can social distance
- Suspend operations that require signatures or PIN entries
- All restaurant dining rooms must be closed to the public
- These businesses and services are closed until the order is lifted:
- bars
- nightclubs
- gyms
- fitness centers
- bowling alleys
- theaters
- live performance venues
- Operators of amusement rides
- estheticians
- hair designers
- beauty shops and salons
- barbershops
- body art studios
- cosmetology schools
- barber schools
- nail care schools
- esthetic schools
- licensed massage therapists
Those who do not comply with the governor’s order may be charged with a misdemeanor and law enforcement can force them to close.
“From what we have seen the majority of the business and citizens are being compliant with the order, says Habersham Sheriff’s Lt. Matt Wurtz. “If we happen to see violations, we will make contact with the people and business and attempt to educate them on what the order says in order to get voluntary compliance.”
The Georgia Department of Public Health, Department of Public Safety, and Emergency Management/Homeland Security also have the power to enforce Kemp’s order.
