Though he has concerns with Gov. Jay Inslee’s “stay at home” order, Kitsap County Sheriff Gary Simpson said Wednesday he is not joining two other Washington state sheriffs in refusing to enforce the order meant to slow the spread of coronavirus.

“We need to remind the public that the governor put out an order, and we are all doing our best to try to follow it,” Simpson said. “I know people are frustrated, I’m just as frustrated as anybody else.”

This week J.D. Raymond, sheriff of Franklin County in Eastern Washington, along with Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney made statements they would not enforce Inslee’s order, which mandates the closure of “non-essential” businesses.

"This is a very serious issue and the appropriate precautions need to be taken to protect our most vulnerable populations. However, our communities have already shown and continue to show they understand the severity of the situation and are doing all they can already to keep themselves, their families and neighbors safe and healthy," Fortney wrote in the post that leveled criticism at Inslee.

The Everett Herald newspaper reported Wednesday at least 98 people have died from the virus in Snohomish County.

Simpson said the goal of deputies when it comes to the order is to educate and seek compliance.

“If there is an extreme situation where the health and safety of the public is involved, we will have to decide what kind of discretionary enforcement we have to make,” Simpson said, adding that his approach is to follow the law, follow "common sense" and listen to public health officials.

The Kitsap Public Health District reported Monday a second person has died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. In the county 141 people have tested positive.

Prosecutor Chad Enright said the order comes from a state law granting the governor emergency powers. The law in question makes violating an emergency order from the governor a gross misdemeanor.

“That statute is presumed to be constitutional until a court says that it is not,” Enright said. “From the prosecutor’s perspective, if we receive a referral for a violation of the governor's order, we will review it and determine if the best interest of the community is served by charging it, and if so we will charge it as a crime.”

Enright said the office has not filed charges against anybody for violating the order, but received a referral early in the crisis about a gym alleged to have left its backdoor open so that people could enter and use exercise equipment.

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Simpson said he is sympathetic to the concerns about the order, in place until May 4.

“I disagree with a lot of it, I have a lot of the same questions,” he said, noting that the order appears to prohibit activities that could be done safely while maintaining social distancing.

Though he supports the exercise of civil rights, Simpson said he was disappointed in the protests last weekend in Olympia. Those protesting advocated for the lifting of the “stay at home” order and other restrictions on commerce and recreation.

Some in the crowd of demonstrators did not appear to be taking precautions to protect themselves and others, like wearing face masks and keeping their distance from others.

“This is a serious situation, and when people are not following those protocols they are potentially infecting or causing harm to other people,” Simpson said.

Coronavirus:Second confirmed COVID-19 death reported in Kitsap County