Being stuck in a lockdown or a quarantine can be frightening. As bad as forced isolation can be, the worst part can be the uncertainty of what might lie ahead.
Unfortunately, that's the price each of us pays when governments determine that a virus must be contained by limiting its opportunity to spread. In this case, of course, that is SARS-CoV-2, otherwise known as the coronavirus. Entire states in the U.S. have imposed measures to keep people at home, and elsewhere in the world entire nations have done so.
It's a bit like being jailed.
But you're not a criminal. And you have civil rights — or at least you think you do.
Before we talk about your rights during a quarantine or lockdown, let's first look at government's powers to order them.
First, it's important to distinguish between quarantines, lockdowns, and "shelter in place" orders.
People who are dutifully following a state decree to stay at home are not "under quarantine." Real quarantines are hardcore. They are designed to isolate people who have been infected or exposed to someone who is affected. And if people under quarantine venture away from their quarantined space, they can be fined or jailed — or, perhaps more likely, placed in a locked medical ward.
The penalties can be serious. If the Centers for Disease Control gets involved, a quarantine scofflaw could be fined up to $100,000 and spend a year in jail.
Most of the time, quarantines in the U.S. are the responsibility of state and local governments, and they have police powers to protect the public health. This phrase is worth repeating: police powers. People under quarantine have very little ability to refuse an order to isolate themselves.
When it comes to lockdowns and "shelter in place" orders, however, the law is grayer. Technically, a lockdown is a stricter order that could impose a curfew or a ban on leaving a certain area, but the term has been used interchangeably with "shelter in place."
Whatever the name, the actions taken by states have contained the same elements: "inessential stores" ordered closed, limitations on crowd size, etc. For the most part, however, people could still leave their homes to go for a walk if they're alone or stand six feet apart if in a group.
While the state emergencies say rulebreakers can be charged with misdemeanors, police in most locales have tended to use persuasion to send people back indoors. This stands in sharp contrast — at this point in time, at least — to the real lockdowns in Italy and Spain, where there were curfews and fines.
But the restrictions in the U.S. could become stricter and begin to resemble a true lockdown like those in Italy and Spain.
If that happens, be prepared.
Jim harper
Need e-mail address
What will happen if I dont pay now?
I have a HSBC credit card that is 25 days in COLLECTIONS $18k (balance). They sold the acct to CCB (collections). CCB is hounding me to get a home equity loan and pay them off , their offer is $14K. My husband does not want to do that! What are my long/short term options? I have 2 other cards that I was able to work out long term payments, no problem. I did offer them $300 per month but they say they can only accept that for 3 months. I know I owe but I am currently unemployed.
What should I do.
This is a question on division of assets:
My wife and I separated in April 2009. I moved out and rented a smaller place close by that had enough room for the kids (3) which I had part time. The amount of the rent was and is higher than the amount of the mortgage and subsequently could not afford to pay half the mortgage and rent on another place. She is now trying to deduct my half of the mortgage payments from the value of the house along with maintenance cost. Here the question. The mortgage, taxes and maintenance costs for the house are still less than the fair rental value. Can I use WATTS to make sure she does not deduct this off the value of the house? I believe I can but what I'm concerned with is my ex-lawyer (I fired him) said that I could but he never filed anything that we were going after the WATTS credits. Can I still do this now?
Also please note that she makes the same or more than do salary wise.
You can contact me at (714) 585-6555 David
Also, I am actively looking for an attorney to help me with this matter.
Notice of filing an unlawful detainer case
Yesterday, I received in the mail a notice of filing an unlawful detainer case. I have been behind on my rent since October 2008 and the onsite management and owner have been accepting $300 to $400 every two weeks. I was advised by the onsite manager that the owner decided to open up a file and send it to their lawyers. So, she contacted the lawyers and was advised it is up to the owner to wait on the file. Then she called the owner and she was advised it depends what I can come up with to stop the filing.
Basically the onsite manager says that it depends on how much I give to determine if the file can be placed on hold and be placed on a written payment arrangement.
So, I wanted to know what happens now that I have a notice of an unlawful detainer case.