Ohio authorities plan to issue citations against residents who planned an Amish wedding reception last week, various local outlets reported over the weekend.
According to WKBN, the Trumbull County Combined Health District will file a “notice of violation” against an Amish community in Mesopotamia, Ohio for holding a gathering of more than 10 people.
Kris Wilster, director of environmental health in Trumbull County, said it will be left to local law enforcement to decide if any charges should be filed against the people who gathered for the reception.
He said they can’t enforce the social-distancing rule for religious ceremonies, but can for the reception held after the wedding ceremony. More than 30 people were in attendance at the Thursday reception, a violation of the 10-person maximum laid out in Gov. Mike DeWine’s stay-at-home order.
“Our first step would be just to talk to them, try to get them to understand the importance, you know, of this contagious disease. The importance of the social distancing, washing your hands, the sanitizer, having products readily available to clean touchable surfaces. Those sort of things,” Wilster told the outlet.
A report from the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office said it received a 911 call last Tuesday about the wedding celebration, The Vindicator reported. The caller said that food preparation for the ceremony had started and claimed that 300 people were expected to attend.
Wilster said health officials provided door hangers to the Amish community with information about the coronavirus and the state’s restrictions on social gatherings, but it’s unclear if they were aware of the restrictions before the wedding.
A violation of the governor’s stay-at-home order is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine.
During a March press conference, DeWine discouraged residents from calling 911 to report violations and said he doesn’t “want a lot of arrests or citations.” Instead, he encouraged residents to contact their local health departments to report a violation.
“The law is an instructor and a deterrent,” he said. “You hope the law doesn’t have to be applied very often.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
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