Mayor Bill de Blasio Announces Mask Patrols to Fine Offenders: ‘That Will Happen Aggressively’

Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced on Tuesday that the city will “aggressively” move to enforce mask mandates and fine those who refuse to wear a face covering.

The mayor spoke about the continued actions in the city to combat the Chinese coronavirus, citing hundreds of additional city agency personnel handing out masks, encouraging testing, and “pushing back against misinformation.”

De Blasio also announced an additional enforcement measure: mask patrols.

“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, and anyone who still refuses will be fined,” he explained, noting that it will “happen aggressively.”

“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,” he added:

As New York City continues to crack down on coronavirus rules and restrictions, other leaders across the country are loosening restrictions.

Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) lifted key restrictions statewide, allowing businesses, such as restaurants, to operate at full capacity at the state level. Additionally, DeSantis suspended all mask-related fines imposed by local governments.

“Just as an act of executive grace, all outstanding fines and penalties that have been applied against individuals are suspended,” the governor said. “I think we need to get away from trying to penalize people for not social distancing and work with people constructively.”