New Jersey police chief, Andrew Kudrick Jr has said he and his policemen won’t enforce Gov. Phil Murphy’s “draconian” measures aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus, saying community members can and should be trusted to do what they know is right.

The state’s confirmed-case count according to the department of health was at 306,007 on Sunday, with 14,949 deaths, while the US has reached 12 million cases and 250,000 deaths.

Last week Friday November 20, Governor Murphy issued new restrictions stopping gatherings from exceeding 10 people and limiting restaurant capacities.

During any gathering, everyone must wear face coverings and maintain a 6-foot distance, according to the most recent health department guidelines.

Indoor gatherings for specific purposes, including weddings, funerals, memorial services or religious and First Amendment-protected political activities are capped at 150 people, or 25% of a room’s capacity. 

“This is not about some minor infraction,” Murphy told NBC News on Friday. “These executive orders are about saving people’s lives.”

The police chief on Sunday stated that his men will not intervene in people’s lives unnecessarily.

“Howell Township Police will rely on the community to be responsible for their own actions without enforcement intervention as they have done in the past,” Chief Andrew Kudrick Jr. said in a statement.

“Of course they will respond to egregious violations such as packed house parties, so please think as you plan any gatherings. Please continue to show respect to each other and to our police department during this difficult time for many residents and businesses.”

“We are not going to be interfering with people’s Thanksgiving dinners or their holiday dinners or their social gatherings, unless it’s something egregious,” Kudrick said, according to NBC News.