With COVID-19 rates beginning to rise again in NYC, Mayor de Blasio is cracking down on face mask compliance.
And it will partly be in the form of monetary fines.
He announced the news in a press conference yesterday (Sept. 29), saying that it would be applicable to all New Yorkers. Efforts are also focused in the specific areas where COVID-19 cases are rising, which include nine zip codes in Brooklyn and Queens. He said there will be much more community outreach, plus on-the-ground testing, new testing centers in the communities, Test and Trace Corps. members, and additional City agency personnel educating communities on how to stay safe and stop the spread.
The positive test rate has risen to 3.25%, which is the highest it has been in months (the seven-day rolling average is, however, still 1.38%).
Of course, they will give people a chance, giving them a warning first and then offering them a mask if they don’t have one.
“Anyone who is not wearing a face covering will be offered one, will be reminded it is required. And anyone who refuses to wear a face covering will be told that if they don’t put one on, they will be fined,” he said. “And anyone who is still refuses, will be fined. So, that will happen aggressively, clearly. Our goal, of course, is to give everyone a free face mask and get them to wear it. We don’t want to fine people. If we have to, we will, and that will be starting on a large scale today.”
Beginning TODAY the City will issue fines to anyone who refuses to wear a face covering in public.
Unless you have a medical exemption, there’s no reason to not wear one.
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) September 29, 2020
Earlier this month, a fine of $50 was put in place for those who didn’t wear face masks on the subway.
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