COLUMBUS (WCMH) — The Columbus Division of Police and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office announced they are joining forces to enforce the state’s stay at home order during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the departments will be doing the following:

Deputies and officers will not be stopping motorists for the sole purpose of determining compliance with the stay at home order.

If law enforcement responds to reports of groups of people congregating, or to a report of a business operating outside the confines of the order, they will use discretion to educate people they come into contact with about the importance of complying with the order.

Each incident will be handled on a case by case basis, and law enforcement remains in close consultation with prosecutors and public health officials if a person refuses to comply with an order to disperse.

If members of the public notice an individual, a group or a business that they do not believe is complying with the order, health officials urge them to call their local health department.

“For restaurants or any establishments that public health licenses, like restaurants or tattoo parlors, we’d be happy to take those complaints and go check it out ourselves,” said Dr. Mysheika Roberts, the Columbus Public Health Commissioner. “For other establishments, whether it’s a business to determine if it’s essential or not, we can work with some of our partners to help determine if it’s essential and whether or not they should be open.”

Roberts urges those with questions to call Columbus Public Health’s COVID-19 call center at (614) 645-1519.