Police all throughout the Garden State have indicated that they will be cracking down on violations of Governor Phil Murphy's decrees, which restrict all public gatherings and non-essential business activity. Authorities are planning to specifically target businesses such as bars and restaurants that stay open despite the ban.
Law enforcement will also keep tabs on residents who decide to try to throw parties at their homes and invite dozens of people, which is also against the new rules. No gatherings other than those involving family members and residents of the same household are allowed during this time, as well as visits to close friends and relatives.
"Law enforcement officers will have to break that party up, and there will be criminal consequences," stated New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal during a recent press conference. "The time for warnings is over. And the time to ensure compliance by using all of the tool available to us is here."
There are all sorts of charges that can be levied at offenders, it turns out. Everything from disorderly conduct to indictable offenses are on the table depending on the crime committed. And New Jersey police are ready to dole it all out as they discover it.
In a worst-case scenario, offenders could have to pay a $1,000 fine or spend up to six months in the slammer, all for violating the governor's orders to stay home in response to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).
"Folks need to be jolted," Murphy announced on Sunday after deciding to ratchet up his response upon learning that some New Jersey residents had been violating his orders. "All residents are to stay inside if you do not need to be out," he added, noting that he was "really damned unhappy" to hear that not everyone was abiding by his rules.
Listen below as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, confronts the reality that the "prepper mentality" paradigm shift has definitely begun:
If the people of New Jersey weren't "preppers" before this latest lockdown order, they sure are now. Many of them are probably waking up to the fact that they should probably have some extra food on hand, not just toilet paper and paper towels, to weather what could become a very drawn-out storm.
As we've been reporting, two or three weeks' worth of food won't be enough. We're talking multiple months' worth, along with the planting of home gardens and honing of survival skills.
With many people now out of work, restlessness is going to increase, as will food shortages. People who didn't prepare will soon be running out of not only supplies but also money, which means it's probably going to get a whole lot tougher out there.
For this reason, we recommend calmly stocking up on the things you think you'll need for a potentially extended period of time. There's no need to panic, but carefully assess your current situation and decide what the best next steps are to avoid an even worse crisis when your stocks potentially run dry.
You can learn more about how to get and stay prepared by checking out Preparedness.news.
You can also keep up with the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), by checking out Pandemic.news.
Sources for this article include: