Old Town Alexandria had heavy crowds for most of the day yesterday making social distancing rough. This file photo shows the historic neighborhood.

Ken Lund / Flickr

A gorgeous mid-May Saturday brought a ton of folks in the D.C.-region outside for sunshine and warmth. But some didn’t heed the rules, regulations and precautions that local officials have continuously begged for since mid-March.

This was the situation in Old Town Alexandria, where crowds were out in full force for much of the day, making social distancing much harder.

This has law enforcement walking a delicate balance between spreading public awareness of the risks and enforcing the rules.

Although large swaths of both Maryland and Virginia are beginning to reopen this weekend, the D.C.-area remains under stay-at-home orders due to still rising coronavirus cases regionally. Alexandria has seen a steady increase in coronavirus cases and has added 383 cases since last Sunday.

In a statement to DCist, Alexandria City officials and police said they placed additional signage on sidewalks and in parks about social distancing practices. More officers and park ambassadors patrolled, reminding everyone of safe practices.

But no one was cited over the weekend.

Craig Fifer, director of public communications for the City of Alexandria, said the police’s first approach is “always to educate people and ask them to comply in support of the community,” but they do have the ability to enforce certain rules under Executive Order 62. According to Fifer, gatherings of 10 or more people could be considered a Class 1 misdemeanor which carries a potential fine of up to $2,500 or up to a year in jail.

If restaurants had dine-in service when they weren’t supposed to, the Alexandria Health Department has the authority to suspend the restaurant’s operating permit. Violating liquor regulations could mean pulling their license.

Fifer said there were a few issues with Alexandria bars when the order first went into effect in mid-March but they were “quickly resolved through conversations.”

Since there have been little problem with compliance from businesses.

“Although we ask businesses to remind customers not to congregate or consume alcohol outside, ultimately it’s the choices of the individual customers and not the businesses that are driving the crowds in Old Town,” Fifer said.

He also confirmed that Gov. Ralph Northam’s order does not provide guidelines for enforcement on social distancing or the wearing of face coverings.

“For better or worse, the governor’s order does not have a lot of enforcement attached to it,” Fifer said.

Overall, Fifer stressed that the initial approach is always a request for compliance and an explanation of the rules. Over the weekend, despite the crowds, no one was cited or arrested for being in violation of Northam’s executive order.

“We don’t want to issue citations or arrest people — we just want everyone to be healthy,” Fifer said.

Other local jurisdictions also confirmed to DCist that compliance is largely voluntary and enforcement is rarely, if at all, taken.

D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department wrote in an emailed statement that officers who observe large gatherings are notifying “the gathered group of health and safety risks” and “are seeking the voluntary compliance of individuals.”

The Prince George’s Police Department said they have not taken any enforcement action solely for violating the county’s stay-at-home order.

In Baltimore, police used a helicopter and loudspeaker to tell crowds to disperse at Fell’s Point.

This story was corrected with the accurate spelling of Craig Fifer.

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