The cost of going out on a Saturday night just keeps going up and up.
For seven visitors to Santa Cruz, California, the bill came to $7,000 in fines for violating local shelter-in-place, or SIP, guidelines.
They “came from Fremont to get some ‘essential’ drinks,” Police Chief Andrew Mills tweeted. “If you are not from Santa Cruz and you put our community at risk, you will get a ticket. #shelterinyourowntown.”
The department tweeted, “7 x $1000 = One Expensive Hang Out. Everyone should know by now that this is not the time to meetup and party.”
The drive from Fremont to Santa Cruz is nearly 50 miles.
7 x $1000 = One Expensive Hang Out
Everyone should know by now that this is not the time to meetup and party. Officers cited seven $1000 tickets for #ShelterInPlace Violations to help these guys remember their time in Santa Cruz. #ShelterInYourOwnTown #SantaCruzPolice https://t.co/PXRNW07DPV— Santa Cruz Police (@SantaCruzPolice) April 11, 2020
Santa Clara County’s Public Health Department’s website says, “Sheltering in place” means people must stay home as much as possible and leave only for “essential activities.” People cannot “host or attend any gatherings of any size.”
Stay-at-Home Order
Law enforcement officers in California issued citations to people watching the sunset or otherwise spending time near a beach north of San Diego, the latest crackdown on people violating stay-at-home orders nationwide amid the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus pandemic.
Officers in California arrested a paddleboarder and fined a surfer while authorities in Pennsylvania gave a woman a $200 ticket for driving as authorities try to battle COVID-19, a disease from China, known as the novel coronavirus.
Officers in Encinitas, about 25 miles from San Diego, issued tickets to 22 people who were doing things like watching the sunset or having picnics, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department said in a now-deleted tweet.
The office said people “can easily transmit coronavirus without knowing it, creating a snowball effect.”
“By staying home, you can save lives,” it added.” The public health orders were not created to follow when convenient.”
Violators face up to six months in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.
The-CNN-Wire
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Epoch Times reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.