Camden County Gives 'Stay Home' Order Teeth: Large Gathering Violations Punishable By 1 Year In Jail, $1,000 Fine

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. — The Camden County Commission and Health Department issued a Stay-Home Order on Tuesday, April 7, tightening restrictions on social interaction and business operations. The county also imposed stiffer penalties for violation of the restriction on public or private gatherings of more than 10 people.

In Ordinance 04072001, the commission and health department jointly adopted Missouri's Stay-Home Order and further restricted the Social Distancing Orders issued on March 31.

On March 31, the Camden Health Department and County Commission had issued social distancing requirements limiting all public and private gatherings to 10 people; banning dining or drinking at food establishments (only allowing to-go/carryout/curbside delivery); prohibiting more than 10 people at a lakefront establishment dock at any time and requiring boats to leave the dock immediately after conducting their business; and closing nail salons, hair salons, tattoo parlors, massage therapists, estheticians, spas and other personal service providers.

Violations of that order were being treated as Unclassified Misdemeanors, according to the Camden County Sheriff's Office.

However on April 7, the county passed two ordinances.

Ordinance 04072001

Ordinance 04072001 (mentioned previously) adopts the State of Missouri's Stay-Home Order and considers violations Unclassified Misdemeanors.

The full ordinance can be viewed below. Key parts of the ordinance include the following:

1. “Individuals currently residing within Camden County shall avoid leaving their homes or places or residence. When individuals need to leave their homes or places of residence to work, to access food, prescriptions, health care, and other necessities, or to engage in outdoor activity, they should at all times practice social distancing. Individuals may also go to and from an individual’s place of worship, provided that limitations on social gatherings and social distancing are properly adhered to.”

2. It requires, per the state’s order, businesses considered “non-essential” to practice social distancing, and businesses that qualify as “essential” that engage in retail sales to the public are required to limit the number of individuals in their store to 25 percent of maximum occupancy for buildings less than 10,000 square feet and 10 percent of maximum occupancy for buildings 10,000 square feet and larger.

3. The order says all individuals in the county shall avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people. It also closes swimming pools and hot tubs open to the public, and it prohibits people from visiting nursing homes, long-term care facilities, retirement homes, or assisted living facilities unless to provide critical assistance.

Violations of this order are considered Unclassified Misdemeanors.

Amendment To Ordinance 03312002

The Amendment To Ordinance 03312002 adds additional restrictive activities to the county’s March 31 ordinance. Now the ordinance reads: “All public and private gatherings, planned or spontaneous; recreational facilities open to the public or to members, conference, event and banquet facilities, wedding venues, gyms, tanning facilities, social clubs, funerals, churches, swimming pools including hot tubes [sic] open to the public or paying guests or members or any other place of public or private gathering, shall limit participants to no more than 10 people provided they can maintain the appropriate 6 ft distance between individuals. This is meant to include employees and clergy in the count of 10 people.”

This means even private gatherings on private property in the county must be limited to 10 people, who must all remain at least 6 feet apart.

The ordinance also adds an enforcement section, which considers violation of the ordinance a Class A Misdemeanor punishable by up to 1 year in jail, up to a $1,000 fine, or both.