Knox County extends disaster declaration
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From The News-Courier staff
BENJAMIN—The Knox County Commissioners Court approved a motion to continue the earlier disaster declaration for the county until its next meeting in May during a regular monthly session here Monday morning.
In addition, the commissioners took appropriate action on a resolution for persons under quarantine in the county.
The commissioners proclaimed April as National 9-1-1 Education month and heard reports or received filed reports from the county offices.
In an earlier video, Judge Stan Wojcik had indicated the county was in an enforcement mode to make sure that everyone was following the rules that were basically the same as sheltering-in-place except for those services declared essential. Fines could carry a $1,000 penalty or time in jail.
“I’m begging you to follow the rules,” he said. “The more we follow the rules, the quicker we get back to normal.”
The judge did issue a warning when large crowds gathered at a funeral home in Munday to pay respects to a young man who had died in an auto accident in a field just a half mile east of Munday on Hwy. 277 earlier in the month. “As tragic as it is, funerals are not exempt either,” Wojcik said.
“You can’t have the family over for a BBQ,” he added, but it did appear that some families did gather for Easter celebrations based on the number of cars at certain locations.
Wojcik first noted that golf courses in the county would be closed. He clarified that later by saying maintenance workers were not considered essential by the governor’s orders, but that courses could be open if social distancing was practiced.
In his video chat, Wojcik also touched on calls he had gotten from some residents who felt they were being denied rights guaranteed them under the constitution. “It doesn’t allow you to pass the virus,” he added.
