To slow down the spread of COVID-19, Columbus Police Department will enhance its enforcement efforts on violations of city regulations, such as the curfew, restrictions on social gathering and store sanitations, said Chief Fred Shelton during a press conference Tuesday morning.
CPD started enforcing new city regulations in response to the pandemic last month, Shelton said, but the efforts “have been a little more lenient.” As the number of confirmed cases and deaths rises in the state, however, he said it’s time to “step up the game.”
Shelton said the CPD has issued 87 citations since it started enforcing new city regulations in response to the pandemic in March.
The current city ordinance allows social gatherings of up to 10 people, prohibits nonessential travels from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and requires retail store employees to wear protective gears, among other things. Customers are not required to wear masks but are encouraged to do so, Shelton said.
Some Columbus residents have been throwing birthday parties and holding barbecue parties in their backyard, he said, exceeding the city’s limit.
“We will and we can shut that gathering down,” Shelton said.
The department also issued tickets on Walmart and Lowe’s because some employees were either not wearing masks or wearing them improperly, Shelton said.
“Some people are not taking this seriously,” he said. “(But now) we are past the education phase.”
To step up the enforcement, Shelton said he will assign additional officers to check for violations and make sure businesses comply with the city ordinance and guidelines from the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Violations could result in a fine between $300 and $1,000 per day or up to 90 days in jail, he said.
“In the middle of a pandemic, we do not need to relax the standards,” Shelton said. “It’s not to punish anybody but to make sure that we are doing everything we can to stop the spread of the COVID-19.”
As of Sunday afternoon, Lowndes County had three COVID-19-related deaths and 61 cases confirmed, according to the state Department of Health. More than 300 Mississippians have died from COVID-19 and almost 8,000 cases have been confirmed statewide.
Yue Stella Yu was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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