Ryan Nicol
St. Lucie County is issuing a safer-at-home order effective Saturday, April 4 in light of the COVID-19 virus outbreak in the state. Nearby Martin County could soon follow suit.
St. Lucie officials updated the public regarding the order with a post on the county’s site Tuesday evening.
“This applies to all residents and business within St. Lucie County including the cities of Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie,” the county wrote.
“Residents do not require a pass or a letter to show to authorities. No curfews are being enacted at this time. Safer at home means all residents are directed to stay at home as much as possible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Officials will also be closing county facilities starting Friday. Those closures will last at least through April 24.
The safer-at-home order goes into effect Saturday, April 4 at 6 a.m.
The move comes as the county has just 38 confirmed cases of the virus as of a Tuesday night update. Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an Executive Order establishing a safer-at-home order spanning Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
Martin County is just north of Palm Beach, with St. Lucie being one more county north. The proximity to the region covered by the Governor’s EO — which has served as the epicenter of the outbreak in the state — makes it unsurprising the region would follow up with action of its own.
That action is necessitated by the Governor’s reluctance to issue a statewide order. He’s argued local governments should be left to make the decision as some regions of the state still have few confirmed positives.
As for Martin County, officials there are set to meet Friday at 9 a.m. to discuss establishing a safer-at-home order of their own. That order will reportedly be similar to St. Lucie’s version. Martin County officials explicitly mention the Governor’s Monday move as motivation for considering similar action.
The St. Lucie order makes exceptions for individuals seeking to visit essential businesses or services. Residents are permitted to shop at the grocery store, visit a pharmacy or exercise and walk their pets, among other activities.
