City of Charleston passes ‘Stay at Home’ ordinance

'Stay at Home', thst'a the message being ordered for residents in Charleston for the next 14 days

Mar 24, 2020 11:58 PM EDT

ABC Team,

CHARLESTON, SC (WCIV) — Charleston City Council voted, 9-4, Tuesday night to approve an emergency order for residents to remain in their homes, unless necessary to leave, for a period of 14 days in an attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The so-called “Stay at Home” order proposed by Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg instructs city residents to “stay in their homes and not travel through or congregate in the streets, sidewalks, waterways or public spaces in the City of Charleston, including establishments that hold a City of Charleston business license.”

There are exceptions to the proposed order, allowing people to leave home to go to work or to conduct business with entities deemed “essential services.” Those include healthcare facilities, grocery stores and numerous other service providers.

Mayor Tecklenburg voted to pass the order, along with Kevin Shealy, Jason Sakran, Robert Mitchell, Karl Brady, William Dudley Gregory, Peter Shahid, Ross Appel and Carol Jackson.

Council members Mike Seekings, Harry Griffin, Keith Waring and Marie Delcioppo voted against the measure, noting various reservations about the order.

Seekings said he felt the order wasn’t restrictive enough due to the number of excluded businesses and persons the order allows for, calling the ordinance “extremely broad” and “vastly exclusionary.”

Waring was concerned about the 14-day length of the ordinance, saying he’d like to see the order shortened to 7 days and for City Council to reevaluate the need for extending it after that week passed.

Mayor Tecklenburg discussed why he felt the order should pass during a press conference Tuesday ahead of the vote.

“Charleston is facing thousands of deaths, most of them unnecessary, if we don’t stop the spread of this virus and prevent our local hospital system from being overwhelmed right now,” the Mayor said. “This moment, with the pandemic still in the earliest part of the acceleration phase, is our last, best chance to keep that tragedy from happening here in our city.”

“We can and will bend the curve on this disease in our community,” Mayor Tecklenburg added. “And we will do it the way we do everything here in Charleston: We’ll do it together”

Mayor Tecklenburg discussed the “Stay at Home” order more fully during a 2:30 p.m. press conference Tuesday (WCIV). To view the ordinance in its entirety, click on the link provided below.

https://www.scribd.com/document/453080699/Charleston-Shelter-in-Place-Ordinance-March-24

Story written by: ABC News 4