Enforcement of Stay-At-Home Order
Mayor Steve Williams is reminding community members that, along with complaints of nonessential businesses, the Huntington Police Department will respond to and investigate complaints of large social gatherings that are in violation of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice's executive stay-at-home order.
"This is a crucial time when every single individual in our community plays a vital role in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic," Williams said. "That means staying at home and following the proper social distancing recommendations if you and/or your family members leave your home for any of the permitted purposes in Gov. Justice's order. We simply are not going to tolerate blatant disregard for the order. Doing so creates a public health hazard and not only places our community at risk, but it places at risk all of our health care professionals and first responders.
"The Huntington Police Department will enforce the order on any large social gatherings that are outside its scope to the fullest extent of the law, including the issuance of citations or arrests if necessary."
Gov. Justice's order states that "all public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or living unit are prohibited, except for the limited purposes permitted by this Order (view the order in its entirety at https://governor.wv.gov). Any gathering of more than 10 people is prohibited, unless exempted by this Order. Nothing in this order prohibits the gathering of members of a household or residence."
Anyone who would like to report a complaint about a large social gathering or nonessential business that is still operating is advised to call 911.