Bay Area Counties Get Tough on Stay-at-Home Order Evaders
SAN RAFAEL (KPIX) -- Easter weekend is just around the corner and the Bay Area is cracking down on shelter-at-home violators.
Marin County is already enforcing tougher restrictions and issuing citations. The Marin County Sheriff's Office has been giving warning citations to people violating the stay-at home-order for about a week. Now, Marin County, in addition to other Bay Area counties, is limiting access to parks ahead of the holiday weekend.
The Marin County Sheriff's Department is continuing to see a large number of visitors showing up to walk the trails. A line of cars was seen along Tennessee Valley Road yesterday and, today, no parking signs have been put up there.
"The Bay Area is doing a great job isolating so to have citations is a little aggressive so putting up these no parking signs are fine," said Justyn Bellsey, a Marin County resident.
The signs are part of Marin County's emergency parking resolution issued Thursday to keep crowds away.
Marin County resident Megan Mokri told KPIX "We are all doing our part to stay close to our homes so to see so many people coming in is frustrating."
Marin is not the only county implementing tougher restrictions. The East Bay Regional Park District is closing parking lots and limiting access to several parks. San Jose will close all its regional parks this holiday weekend to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
"The massive ... influx of people is disappointing but I understand why people were trying to get outside," Bellsey said.
"I don't blame anybody, this is strange times for everybody," said Ellen Nadeau, who lives in Marin County.
If you do get ticket in Marin County for parking near open space areas, it will cost you $100. For the next month, Marin County is implementing restrictions for short-term rentals which includes everything from hotels to vacation rentals. Those will only be available for county residents in need of temporary housing.