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Roaming ‘Mask Patrols’ Come to Major American City as COVID Cases Rise

A return to stricter lockdowns was also discussed by the Mayor.

As the world waits on an effective vaccine against coronavirus to be developed and distributed, local municipalities have been working overtime in order to keep their citizens as safe as possible.

Thus far, the most effective strategies available for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 seem to be social distancing and the wearing of masks.  Of course, these activities aren’t without controversy.

In the case of social distancing, the recommendations being made by the CDC and other health experts have led to a major economic downturn.  This is particularly true in industries where gathering is a prerequisite for success, such as restaurants, sporting events, and concerts.

When it comes to wearing masks, however, the issue is not so much that it’s an economic deterrent, but that Americans are naturally abrasive when it comes to the government telling them what to do.  It’s hard to argue that masks are ineffective at this point, but it’s even more difficult to convince someone in a free country to wear a mask to protect themselves.  We take our own life in our hands here in America, and many have seen mask-less living as a sign of true freedom.

In New York City, authorities will soon be roaming the streets to enforce local mask regulations.

In announcing a testing blitz to take place in emerging coronavirus hotspots in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio also warned that there is going to be an enforcement blitz.

Nine ZIP codes in the city are seeing a spike in new COVID-19 cases.

The mayor announced during a Tuesday morning briefing that there will be a lot more community outreach in those areas including hundreds of so-called Trace Corps members and hundreds of additional city agency workers in the neighborhoods.

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Patrols will start issuing fines to people who refuse to wear masks even after being offered a free mask and a warning that not wearing it will result in a fine.

“That will happen aggressively. Clearly, our goal, of course, is to give everyone a free face mask and get them to wear it,” de Blasio said.

De Blasio would go on to threaten New Yorkers with a return to the stricter lockdown measures should COVID cases continue to rise.

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