Posted by on April 2, 2020

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Jacksonville, FL Mayor Lenny Curry is responsible for the primary rules governing emergencies in the Jacksonville area, including Duval County and subs thereof, like Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Jax Beach, where the public beaches are currently closed. The following is a recap of the major mayoral proclamations now in effect. Each Proc header is linked to the actual published proclamation on the Jaxready.com Covid-19 site.

Covid Related Proc # 1

EEP 2020-001 is an I’m in Charge and Declaring and Emergency proclamation. It’s the legal statement that says, yep, I, Lenny Curry am the guy in charge and I proclaim that we are in an emergency because: the WHO, The President, and the Governor said this SARS CoV2 is making us all sick with Covid 19, and there are now people in Duval County that are sick with Covid 19, and that’s that.

The 2020-001 proclamation goes on further in article 5 to say that there are many things he controls, and he’ll use them as needed for the needy, like city resources, personnel, functions, independent agencies, ingress and egress, gas and water, electric power, waivers to normal operating procedures, etc. There are 18 sub paragraphs to article 5, and it is likely that one of them says that what you don’t think he can do, he can. On to Proclamation, or Proc 2.

I call this Proc 2, if you check out the first Proc, it is numbered 2020-001, and now this one is numbered 2020-1, so it looks as if Lenny believes we will not need 999 proclamations to get through this Covid 19 emergency.

Now don’t freak out on the Alcohol Sales Limitations – you can still buy as much as you want, but not after midnight, and before 8:00 AM. So you can get as much as is legal, but there ain’t no “I’ll fly if you buy” in the wee hours before dawn. The other part of the Proc is 50 peeps max, anywhere, anytime, except in grocery stores and office or manufacturing buildings and of course medical facilities – and that’s it, so on to Proc 3, which is numbered 2020-2, and should be titled the Big BEACH BUMMER…

Yes, that’s the one that says it, CLOSE THE BEACHES! At 5:00 PM on March 20th, the Duval County public beaches closed and any unauthorized person caught on the beaches after that is subject to prosecution and civil enforcement until the prohibition is lifted. So don’t go to your local Atlantic Beach, or Neptune Beach, or Jax Beach city councils as they are not de man, Lenny is de Man, and what he said goes. I sort of take that back, because I guess you could go to the local beach authorities to ask for Authorized Person Status, but that may be a long shot if you don’t have some kind of really cool credentials. Be mindful though, you could still get together in packs of 50 peeps elsewhere, at that time. And next comes Proc 4, numbered 2020-3.

Okay, Working Requirements – No mention of productivity…

This one started the idea that companies should consider allowing their peeps to work from remote spaces, such as your home, or be at least 6 feet apart if the company just can’t make that happen, like if the company can’t get you a laptop or other computer, if you need a computer to do your job. It also goes on to say that employees should continue to be paid. Now, a key phrase in the document is “shall allow”, but that is beefed up with “Such businesses shall be prohibited” to let employees come to work unless that is not possible for various reason, but then the 6 feet rule comes into play. On we go to Proc 5, numbered 2020-4.

NO VACANCY, Except for ESSENTIAL LODGERS (i.e., healthcare professionals, first responders, National Guard members, law enforcement, state or federal employees, airline crew members, patients, patient’s families, journalists, others responding to Covid 19, displaced residents [think victim of a fire], peeps that can’t go home because of Covid 19, victims of domestic violence, hotel employees, or anyone that for any reason that is temporarily unable to return home).

This proclamation applies to hotels, motels, and commercial lodging, except for vacation rentals, and mandates that no new reservations are allowed after 5:00 PM on March 31, 2020, except for ESSENTIAL LODGERS. So at that time, it appears that air B&B and vacation rental homes are still a go, but all other vacationers looking for a hotel are in a no-go situation, or, a go home situation, better… Then we come to the last proclamation as of 4/2/2020, 1:00 PM.

Effective Friday morning (12:01 AM), April 3, 2020, some businesses are not considered essential and they shall be closed, but there is no specific reference to prosecution and civil enforcement, as in Proc 2020-2, the beach closings, but I believe prosecution and civil enforcement is intended.

Proc 2020-5 lays out a host of ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES related to healthcare, food, news, gas stations, banks, hardware stores, contractors, shipping, private colleges and trade schools, laundromats, take out restaurants, office product companies supplying the home office, other supply companies, Airlines/Taxis/Private transportation, Home based care, Assisted living, Professional Services, landscape and pool care, Childcare (with stipulations), airport or seaport facilities, pet stores, Logistics, Telecom, Natural and Propane gas distributors, waste management, electronic businesses, marinas, hotels (ESSENTIAL LODGERS ONLY), vets, morticians, ABC stores, GUN STORES and government contractors: But, if you are one of those, you gotta comply with the 6 feet personal distancing rule! And the Mayor reserves the right to amend the list, of course. Now on to the last set of rules, that are not yet proclamations.

By press release publication titled “MAYOR CURRY ISSUES SAFER AT HOME EXECUTIVE ORDER” REMAIN AT HOME!

Effective also at 12:01 AM, Friday, April 3, “This only prevents residents from traveling to businesses deemed non-essential,” that of course should be closed. The mandate is that citizens remain at home except for going to an essential open “business”, or you may take a walk or bike ride while remembering to stay 6 feet from other people. It also goes on to list all the same information about what an ESSENTIAL business is, a reprint of Proc 2020-5. So you may go to the ABC store, and hardware store, and GUN store, but not the beauty store, or the bike store. No-where have I read anything about churches, temples, synagogues, mosques, etc., so I assume as long as you do not exceed 50 people, you can still go there; but, remember that every time you are near other people you have the chance of giving or receiving a present you do not want, SARS CoV2 viruses, so you may want to consider doing those social things by Skype, or Zoom or some other video conferencing tool. I have a video cocktail hour with my younger daughter almost every day for te-kill-ya shots…, but like Clint said in “Heartbreak Ridge”, “you gotta adapt, improvise…”

Now, you gotta remember that the Governor has not been just sitting on his, ah, chair, and that brings me to the final proclamation for today, EON 20-91:

nice header, huh…

After you get past 14 WHEREAS’s of what has already been done, like self isolation, which according the World Health Organization means you have COVID 19 (see Dodging the SARS CoV2 Virus – Part 4 blog, Governor Ron Desantis promulgates the Safer At Home/Essential Services/Essential Activities executive order. It states that “Senior citizens” (i guess that is defined somewhere) and individuals with significant medical conditions “shall stay at home and take all measures to limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19.”

Everyone else in Florida needs to limit their movements and “personal interactions” to essential objectives, like getting food, or toilet paper… The governor then goes on to include as essential, the essence of life, religious activities, walking, biking, fishing, hiking, hunting, running, swimming, taking care of pets, taking care of loved ones, and any other activities that are later added to the list; but remember, Duval County still has the 6 feet rule and 50 peeps rule. All that, in the governor’s executive order coincides with the 12:01 Friday morning start date.

So there you have it folks, the rules we’re suppose to play by here in Duval County, but I tell you, for now, I don’t even want to go out to get groceries, and when I do, I wear my surgical gloves and watch for kids touching everything in the store at their level, and look for empty aisles to get from front to back – its just crazy, but I’m gonna be dodging SARS Cov2’s best I can till they all fall apart. Best wishes to you all.

Music By: Tom Principato, “Bo Bo’s Groove” used under CC license as recorded, except for fade-in added for this blog.

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Comments

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