( CNN ) -- By pronouncement of the sheriff , there will be no Valentine 's Day this Friday . That is , if you live in Georgia , north of Interstate 16 and have to drive to get a gift . Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry has designated northern Georgia a `` NO VALENTINES DAY ZONE '' in a post on the department 's Facebook page Wednesday night . Men are `` exempt from having to run out and buy lottery scratchers and Hershey bars from the corner stores until February 18 , 2014 , due to ice , snow , freezing rain , '' the tongue-in-cheek post said . It 's all in fun . But rescheduling the festival of lovers to Tuesday would give the ice storm-battered region time to get roads back to normal and make Valentine 's a safer affair . Cutting the monotony . Though it sounds like a pretty practical safety suggestion to motorists , it was more likely something else that drove Sheriff Berry to the decision . `` I think he was just trying to cut the monotony , '' dispatcher John Ogle told CNN . Deputies have been practically snowed in at the office for a marathon 34-hour shift , and the sheriff wanted to give them something to smile at , Ogle said . But not just them . `` I think he was just trying to give our spouses a little laugh , '' he said . Ogle 's spouse was unimpressed . `` My wife told me it did n't apply . '' School closure announced with 'Ice Ice Baby ' No excuses . Women , who saw the Facebook post , lined up to playfully oppose the sheriff 's order . 'No excuses ! ' was their refrain . `` Not my man cause it is my birthday also , '' commented Glenda Robertson , `` so he is not going to get away with this excuse lol . '' Men , predictably , backed the lawman . `` T H A N K Y O U ! '' said Ken Darsey 's comment , leaping off the page . `` Can you make sure my wife gets a copy of this memo ? '' wrote Mark Martin . Other women warned : You knew the day was coming , and you knew the weather forecast . You should 've planned ahead . Ogle , the sheriff 's dispatcher , did . `` Mine 's covered . I told her her gift is in the top dresser drawer , '' he said . But for those who did n't manage a gift due to the ice and snow , commenter Bo Edwards has a suggestion for what they can tell their loved ones : . `` It 's the thaw ( t ) that counts ... . '' Border inspector picks flowers aimed for your Valentine .
In a Facebook post , he declared northern Georgia 'NO VALENTINES DAY ZONE ' Sheriff Scott Berry has rescheduled the lovers ' fest to Tuesday . He did it to make his staff and their spouses laugh . Residents took to Facebook and got in on the fun .