RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia State Police released a long list of guidelines it will be following and enforcing during the COVID-19 coronavirus stay-at-home order, which was announced by Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday.
VSP said that first and foremost, it wants to try and limit its contact with the public, while also enforcing laws to the same ability it expects in regular times.
With that, you won't see VSP looking to interrupt your life on the street and while you are driving in your vehicles — or even pulling your car over to enforce the order.
Northam sent specific guidelines to VSP on how the stay-at-home order should and can be enforced.
A large amount of using this order is to make sure people are not gathering in groups of ten or more people, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control in Prevention (CDC) guidelines in reference to social distancing.
VSP also wants to make sure all nonessential businesses, like bars and restaurants, aren't breaking the order also, outside of the exception for takeout and carry out orders, which are deemed essential.
VSP can and will arrest people in regard to the stay-at-home order if they are deemed to be habitually breaking the order.
In the statement, VSP said that its department plans more on using education tactics and warnings to residents, and would prefer not to make an arrest when it comes to this order.
With this, don't expect to be pulled over and asked for papers, for now. That is not part of what VSP will be doing directly when in the midst of pulling people over for anything that pertains to normal procedures.
Also, VSP isn't going to stop you on the border and ask if you are traveling to other states or to D.C. The department knows people are having to still travel during these times and isn't looking to make anyone's life unnecessarily difficult.
RELATED: Montgomery County approves more than $20 million coronavirus funding for businesses, residents