RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – There is a city-wide curfew in Raleigh in place indefinitely. Those hours were set to 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.. While there are exceptions to the order, there were lingering questions regarding what is and is not allowed.

Who is exempt?

  • On-duty Law enforcement officers, firefighters and public employees
  • Medical field workers
  • On-duty military personnel
  • On-duty utility, public transportation employees
  • Package delivery companies

Who is not exempt?

Below is a general list of workers not allowed to be out past curfew hours. Employers in these fields below must close their businesses and allow employees go home before the 8 p.m.

  • Hotel workers
  • Restaurant workers
  • Personal services workers
  • Retail or grocery workers

How can you get around between curfew hours?

Concerning transportation during curfew hours, unless you have personal transportation, options are limited. If you have a family member landing at RDU during the curfew, they may be stuck unless you want to risk breaking curfew. Lyft representatives told CBS 17, they would halt ride-sharing services during curfew hours in Raleigh. GoRaleigh said they would only transport employees listed as exempt.

What about a walk around the block with your dog?

The emergency proclamation says people need to be inside a home or dwelling. It notes people were not allowed to be on any public streets, alleys, roads. The proclamation did not make any mention of private roads.

What if there is a medical emergency?

Under the restriction people were allowed to leave their house to seek assistance for themselves or family during medical emergencies. Those medical emergencies extend to your pets so veterinary offices are allowed to operate during curfew hours.

What if I own a business, can I stay to protect it during a protest or hire security to do so?

Under the order that answer is no. Security guards are not sworn in law enforcement and therefore are not exempt under the emergency proclamation. Unless the business you own includes a legal dwelling, you cannot stay to protect it and have to head to home as well.

The order says you can leave your home in search of a necessary commodity or service for your household. It’s not specific and that vaguenesss is a criticism the ACLU of North Carolina has about the curfew. On their website, they said not being specific enough with the terms of the curfew would allow “police too much discretion over whom to arrest and will lead to selective enforcement against people of color and risk harassment of people who are unhoused.”

The curfew order made no mention of the homeless population.

People have a constitutional right to demand justice and express their views. If curfews must be implemented, the policies should meet the following strict criteria:

MORE FROM CBS 17

WAKE COUNTY NEWS

  • Provide clear communication to the public when and where it will apply, articulate valid justifications for the restrictions, and provide ample alternative locations where people may gather to express their views without fearing arrest or military-style assault.  
  • Be limited to the specific places in the city where there is an imminent threat of danger or harm, not the entire city.

Click here to read more from ACLU of North Carolina’s post regarding Raleigh’s curfew.

In a statement released Tuesday, Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said “I fully understand the challenges that a curfew can cause. However, the threat of violence is not something I am willing to ignore. We must remain focused on taking every step we can to protect our families, our businesses, and our city.”

Click here to read the emergency proclamation for the curfew.