Here’s What The Safer At Home Order Means In Escambia County

April 1, 2020

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order Wednesday regarding essential services and essential activities during the COVID-19 emergency. The “safer at home” order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, April 3 and expires on Monday, April 30, 2020, unless extended by subsequent order.

The order requires all persons in Florida to limit their movements and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities.

According to a statement from Escambia County, “ndividuals within the county are expected to follow the Governor’s Executive Order 20-91. The Executive Order allows for essential activities, including going to the store to buy food, medicine and cleaning supplies, accessing health care and banking.”

The order includes the following directives and information:

Safer At Home

  • Senior citizens and individuals with a significant underlying medical condition (such as chronic lung disease, moderate-to-severe asthma, serious heart conditions, immunocompromised status, cancer, diabetes, severe obesity, renal failure and liver disease) shall stay at home and take all measures to limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
  • All persons in Florida shall limit their movements and personal interactions outside of their home to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential activities.

Essential Services

  • For purposes of this Order and the conduct it limits, “essential services” means and encompasses the list detailed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in its Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce, v. 2 (March 28, 2020) and any subsequent lists published.
  • Essential services include, but are not limited to:
    • Healthcare/public health
    • Law enforcement, public safety and other first responders
    • Food and agriculture
    • Employees supporting the energy sector, including electricity, petroleum and natural gas industries
    • Water and wastewater
    • Transportation and logistics
    • Public works and infrastructure support services
    • Communications and information technology
    • Other community or government-based operations and essential functions
    • Critical manufacturing
    • Residential/shelter facilities and services
    • Hygiene products and services
    • View the full list of essential services and guidance here.
  • Essential services also include those businesses and activities designated by the governor’s Executive Order 20-89 which includes a list propounded by Miami-Dade County in multiple orders.
  • Other essential services may be added.
  • Nothing in this order prohibits individuals from working from home; the Order encourages individuals to work from home.
  • All businesses or organizations are encouraged to provide delivery, carry-out or curbside service outside of the business or organization, of orders placed online or via telephone, to the greatest extent practicable.

Essential Activities

  • For purposes of this Order and the conduct it limits, “essential activities” means and encompasses the following:
    • Attending religious services conducted in churches, synagogues and houses of worship
    • Participating in recreational activities such as walking, biking, hiking, fishing, hunting, running, or swimming
    • Taking care of pets
    • Caring for or otherwise assisting a loved one or friend
  • Escambia County strongly encourages all essential activities follow social distancing guidelines.
  • Other essential activities may be added to this list.
  • A social gathering in a public space is not an essential activity. Groups of people greater than ten are not permitted to congregate in any public space.

Comments

27 Responses to “Here’s What The Safer At Home Order Means In Escambia County”

  1. Jeanna K Kelly on April 3rd, 2020 11:18 am

    I believe in jesus we will be healed in the name of jesus our land will be restored ! If we believe and cry out to God and step out on faith instead of the enemy’s lies of sickness we will be healed! Fear is not of God! Fear keeps the enemy at work and the sickness in our home.clean out our homes with the word of God ! Jesus died and said by his stipes we our healed!

  2. A reader on April 3rd, 2020 7:53 am

    Brittany, farm and livestock essentials will remain open. Click on the two links to see the complete lists…there are way more services included than the summary list here.

    Remember, this virus is real and it may be inconvenient for a month, but will save lives…it could be yours.

  3. Redtms on April 2nd, 2020 3:56 pm

    Working in healthcare, I realize the importance of this. Please people, just go by the rules for a while. This CoronaVirus is nothing to play with. Those who think ” it won’t happen to me” are done of the ones getting sick or worse from this. Help your senior friends & family out and be smart.

  4. PsychWorld on April 2nd, 2020 3:35 pm

    What are the homeless supposed to do? Didn’t they shut down Waterfront Mission? I have literally nowhere to exist! Please help me with any ideas or advice.

  5. William Lingo on April 2nd, 2020 11:40 am

    Church is not essential, God can hear you anywhere and can be worshipped at home, Church buildings are not the sole conduit to Heaven

  6. Brenna on April 2nd, 2020 8:03 am

    I work retail, not saying where, but I will remind everyone that grocery stores will remain open as we are essential services. Let us keep in mind that had people heeded the warnings from the very beginning on social distancing and not continued to crowd beaches and gather for parties and such, we may not have needed this executive order. I worry for myself, my 10 year old stepson, and my immune compromised boyfriend, who became that was because of his time in the military. Many other essential retailers can be available to allow for you to order things online for your home, like plumbing supplies and whatnot, if need be. On top of that, repairmen like plumbers and such will also be available if necessary. Let’s keep in mind that the people who were never considered essential before and are now, in addition to the ones that have always been considered as such are putting their health and safety as well as their families health and safety on the line so that the people may get what they need in this time of uncertainty.

  7. Daniel H on April 2nd, 2020 7:45 am

    Come On People! It Would Be Stupid To Open The Beaches An Churches Back Open. This Would Be Death On Our Great Community. Spread This Virus Even More. It’s bad Enough With The Places That’s Open Now…. Unless We Stop Being So Hard Headed Everyone Will Become Infected Sooner Or Later.
    So Stay At Home, And Enjoy Your Family Before Its Too Late.

  8. Trish on April 2nd, 2020 6:39 am

    Thank you Governor for realizing that fishing is essential. Especially since idiots go and raid the stores. Fish is food. Teach someone to fish and they can feed themselves for a lifetime.

  9. Blair on April 2nd, 2020 3:51 am

    Sheriff Morgan says he’s not gonna be enforcing the order unless they see groups larger than ten people and all they will do then is to ask them to disperse. So do whatever you want…

  10. Steve on April 2nd, 2020 2:18 am

    I totally agree. We need to be separated. And be completely safe. To stop the spread of this virus. I myself. I am in my sixties. The one thing I think a lot of people aren’t thinking about Is being safe. With our credit information I have always been safe. I’m very protective of my debit card. The last week staying home. I ordered a pizza. And gave my card information over the phone. And boy, was that a big mistake? Just remember the Crooks aren’t staying at home. They got me pretty hard. And try to straighten this up. With everything that’s going on. Be safe with yourself. But also be very careful with your credit card information. It’s going to take me at least two to three weeks to get it straightened up.

  11. Rufus on April 1st, 2020 10:59 pm

    To Doubting Thomas: It goes both ways. Separation of Church and State. Seems the State can make no laws limiting Church functions. Personally, I choose not to go to church right now!

  12. Tim W. on April 1st, 2020 10:58 pm

    From what I understand, businesses and workers responsible for the upkeep, maintenance, etc. of residences/housing are considered essential, and will therefore remain open and allowed to work. This includes such places as Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.

  13. Essential on April 1st, 2020 9:34 pm

    Hey Reader….you should check out the list above, with the link…its there…so, there’s that

  14. Doubting Thomas on April 1st, 2020 9:22 pm

    “A social gathering in a public space is not an essential activity,” but “Attending religious services conducted in churches, etc” is ok? WTF? Does anybody science down here?

  15. Sky on April 1st, 2020 9:21 pm

    Some people are screaming economy first while people are dying until it happens to someone you love.

  16. Brittany on April 1st, 2020 9:12 pm

    What other business are going to shut down exactly? Home Depot, Lowe’s, feed stores ,tractor supply, harbor freight?! Bc all those places are essential business that help us feed our livestock and maintain our own infrastructure while we are waiting this crap out. Just pointing out how ridiculous it would be to close these types of places but keep places like McDonald’s and other fast food business running when all they provide is garbage and not one employee where’s a mask or gloves while handling countless ppls money and handing off your bag of tasty garbage.

  17. Tim on April 1st, 2020 8:45 pm

    Essentially nothing changed. No official guidance on punishment or fines have been or will be released or enforced. If you think for one second that every private owned business on the panhandle is gonna just shut down because of a blanket warning put into effect than you might not understand how the economy works down here.

  18. Pat on April 1st, 2020 8:37 pm

    How bout boating. My favorite swimming and fishing hole is 9 miles offshore. Or is this limited to swimming and fishing in my pool for gold fish.

  19. Reader on April 1st, 2020 7:34 pm

    “How can lawncare be “essential””

    Who says it is? Can’t find it anywhere on the list?

  20. Dwn on April 1st, 2020 7:29 pm

    Just finished listening to a Republican neighbor for 20 minutes.

    He was FURIOUS. Oh no, not at Democrats or liberals. At the Republican Party and Donald Trump.

    Why? The $2 TRILLION package. And the closure of businesses. And the lack of tax revenue. And the breaks for Trump businesses.

    He’s a nearly extinct species of Republican: a true, non-religious, fiscal conservative. He could not care less about gay marriage, or happy holidays versus Merry Christmas, and social hot button issues. He sees only the economy.

    And what he sees is not pretty.

  21. captainfire on April 1st, 2020 7:27 pm

    How can lawncare be “essential”

  22. Jim on April 1st, 2020 7:11 pm

    @bewildered – read the information on essential activities. Grocery and medication pickup, medical appointments, and exercise are permitted.

  23. Denise King on April 1st, 2020 6:02 pm

    Was wondering is pool cleaners were ok going out doing their jobs

  24. Paul on April 1st, 2020 5:55 pm

    For those that still want to gather in groups, what part of this threat to humanity don’t you understand? Be selfless, think of families, think of friends, think of neighbors, think of this country, especially think of the caregivers being exposed constantly think of this world. This is indeed a test of humanity. Prayers for all…

  25. Dwn on April 1st, 2020 5:53 pm

    Once the extra essential activities were added in the final paragraphs, this “Stay-at-home” “order” became about as stiff as gelatin on a warm summer afternoon on a patio.

  26. Bewildered on April 1st, 2020 5:51 pm

    So you are in your 70’s, live alone and are used to take care of yourself. . Do they expect you to sit at home for a month or more and slowly starve. ? You have to get out and buy groceries and necessities. Totally stupid acceleration of these orders and lockdowns. social distancing, handwashing, etc. – makes sense – but some of it goes over the top. Home Depot shutting down … what if you need a necessary part for your house?

  27. Sedition on April 1st, 2020 5:38 pm

    Fishing is an essential activity?
    So are you opening the beaches back up, Einstein?