Fayette County Sheriff, State's Attorney Release Information How They Will Address New Stay-At-Home Order

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Published on May 1 2020 4:07 pm
Last Updated on May 1 2020 4:40 pm
Written by Greg Sapp

FCSD 2020

A new Stay-At-Home Order took effect in Illinois as of Friday.

Fayette County Sheriff Chris Smith and Fayette County State's Attorney Josh Morrison released this statement regarding the new guidelines and how they will be enforced by their offices:

 

We have received many calls from citizens with questions regarding the Governor’s Executive Orders and COVID-19. We understand your concerns and that the Governor’s Executive Orders have resulted in great burdens and hardship on your families, especially financially. We want to assure you that we hear you.
 
However, it would be irresponsible and reckless for us to advise you to ignore the Governor’s Orders. We are working hard to ensure that your constitutional rights are preserved and we WILL NOT infringe on those rights.
 
It is important for all Fayette County citizens and business owners to remember that the State of Illinois is in charge of many licenses and your ability to do business in the State of Illinois. While we can ensure you that your personal rights will be respected inside of Fayette County, if you violate the Governor’s Executive Orders, the State, not the County, has the ability to act on professional certifications and licenses you may hold. This means that while we may determine that you have not committed a criminal offense, any license you hold may be at risk if the appropriate State agency determines it should take action.
 
We will also respect property owners’ rights to make rules and policies for their properties. If a property owner or store has a policy that you must wear a mask, you must follow their policy or you risk them asking police to trespass you. Again, this is a property owner right, not a police rule.
 
We, as much as anyone, want things to go back to normal. We sincerely want to find solutions to these issues and open the County, and the State, back up so everyone can get back to work. We are working with our State Legislators to send ideas to the Governor how we can do this safely, and we are as committed to upholding the Constitution of the United States as we were the day that we took our oaths of office.