When an emergency requires states to issue shelter in place or stay at home orders, each state takes a different approach. Basically, these types of orders require Americans to stay at home except to do essential activities like grocery shopping or going to the pharmacy.
A shelter in place order forces all non-essential businesses to close and prohibits people from leaving their homes except to do essential functions.
Local officials use shelter in place orders when there is an emergency, or immediately after an emergency. These orders are typically used in emergencies like chemical spills or natural disasters.
Officials may also issue a shelter in place order during a pandemic like COVID-19. This has been the case in several U.S states where multiple governors ordered residents to stay home for weeks.
The terms of each shelter in place order are usually spelled out through the specific laws of a state or a city. For instance, one of the phrases consistently used in the shelter in place laws for preventing the spread of COVID-19 is "keep 6 feet apart."
In most shelter in place orders, you are allowed to do the following:
This will depend on the state laws and how authorities choose to approach them. Some states may follow the guidance issued by federal institutions, while others create their own criteria to identify what qualifies as an essential business.
Illinois, California, and Minnesota, for instance, followed the guidelines outlined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Cyber Security & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to identify essential businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, states like New York and Pennsylvania came up with their own standard when determining what qualified as an essential business.
In general, the following businesses will typically qualify as essential businesses:
State governments ultimately have the power to declare a shelter in place order. This power can derive from the state constitution, statutes, or regulations. However, the states can also give cities and towns authority, allowing them to take their own actions.
The answer depends on what the actual rules say. Some shelter in place rules like ones in Santa Clara county state that violating shelter in place "is a misdemeanor punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both." Other states are merely relying on the mounting social pressure on individuals to comply with the orders.
Shelter in place orders, as stated above, are mostly issued immediately after or during an emergency. This can be done as a response to a natural disaster or during wartime (for chemical and nuclear attacks).
A "stay at home order" is usually ordered to limit movements of the population to slow down the spread of a virus. Thus, some state officials may use "stay at home" instead of "shelter in place" during pandemics. This is because, during a pandemic, the type of isolation required to prevent the spread may be different.
In essence, however, both shelter in place orders and stay at home orders outline the same thing.
Lockdown is usually ordered when there is a specific threat, like an active shooter. When a lockdown is ordered, people are required to look for space that is safe at that moment.
Self-quarantine will be ordered if you have been potentially exposed to something that may transmit to others. In such cases, you will be ordered to stay at home for a specific period, not have any visitors, and keep distance between you and anyone living in your household.
Shelter in place and stay at home rules and the specific requirements that come with them can often be confusing. These rules can also have a wide range of legal implications for businesses and individuals. If you have legal concerns regarding a shelter in place rule, it is worth your time to speak to an attorney near you.
I am a Telemarketer for a Construction company in Ohio.
My employer hired me to book appointments for the Sales Representatives.
I am now being asked to sign a "NEW POLICY" which states that I have to SELL a minimum of $10,000. a month and Book 16 appointments a month.
My problem is NOT with the bookings I do far more than that usually. However, I do NOT sell anything! I book for the SALES REP! How can I be held accountable for what they do or don't do?
The other problem is the owner/sales rep. and the other sales rep. on a WHIM decide they are NOT going to GO on these appointments. I have NO Control after I set up the appointment.
I was told if I REFUSE TO SIGN this "NEW POLICY" I would be Terminated. I asked them for something IN WRITING as to why I was being fired and they REFUSED.
They eventually let me stay for now but told me I was a trouble maker and poising the minds of the other telemarketers who would NORMALLY have just signed this without question.
I realize it is a matter of time before I am gone. So what should I do to protect myself? And have PROOF I did not just walk off a job?
Thank you,
Crazed in Ohio Construction
WHAT HAVE YOU TRIED SO FAR?
Union Labor Board--we are NOT a union.
Referred me to contact the Ohio Bar Association for an attorney on Employment (I thought I would try here first!)
Labor & Wage Division referred me to a government website.
husband walking out
husband walked out - no goodbye or words to kids, just left. 4 days gone. Has been in/out to pick things up, then sneaks out again to ''moms''. question: can I change locks or keep him out of house since he's the one that left? can I restrict when/how he sees kids? will he be required to continue to pay bills? when I am away w/ kids for summer at vacation home, can I keep him from staying at the house here alone? This has been a repeated pattern over the past year. Stay at home mom, former professional, with 4 kids. Completely financially dependent and don't want to damage my kids life/lifestyle
If I am 17 and pregnant in illinois could I move out could I be emancipated?
I'm 17years old and am pregnant. The father and I are together and he is 19 and has a stable job. He is getting a house in a few weeks and my mom is mad that he's stepping up and doing things on his own. (She's a control freak) over and over again she keeps telling us both that since he is living on his own that she herself is taking child support from him and that it'll be enough where he can't afford to live on his own. She will not let me live with him because I'm not 18. She keeps saying she's going to take him to court and that he won't see aubree unless its his day. She is going to ruin her life before it evem starts. She is going to ruin the relationship between me and john. She has been trying to get pregnant for over 2 years and I know my mom well enough that she is going to do everything she can to get rid of john and try taking aubree from me. Please help me I don't know what to do. I just want out before aubree gets here so she can't do these things.