Santa Rosa Police Chief Threatens Citations to Shelter Violators

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Even as Sonoma County’s Public Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase announced Thursday that shelter-in-place is working “even better than we thought” to flatten the curve of the coronavirus, Santa Rosa’s Police Chief Ray Navarro issued a warning Friday that officers would be stepping up enforcement of public health orders, including issuing fines.

The video announcement, issued on the department’s YouTube and Facebook channels, said that police officers across the city would be transitioning from education to enforcement in the wake of violations of the health order observed within city limits. Navarro said the city had already issued 40 written business warnings, 2 warnings to individuals, and 5 citations for violating shelter-in-place orders.

The video did not specify exactly what actions were being cited, but said that although most were complying, some members of the public were not observing shelter-in-place. He said violators may be subject to $1 thousand dollar fines and up to 6 months in jail.

Besides referring to some cases of noncompliance, there was no word on why the get-tough policy was being instituted even as the Sonoma County public health officer was lauding the effectiveness of shelter-in-place restrictions, and beginning to discuss strategies for loosening restrictions.

Although shelter-in-place orders continue into early May, Sonoma County officials are working in coordination with other Bay Area officials on a framework and timeline for relaxing shelter-in-place, while instituting mitigation policies designed to contain any further outbreak of the coronavirus regionally.