New York has been one of the most stringent states when it comes to protecting its citizens from coronavirus. School closures, a cap on gatherings, and an eventual mandate for a lockdown occurred as early as March. All measures were deemed successful and were eventually dropped or at least altered.
Even once those orders were allowed to expire, changes were still made, such as requiring quarantine for those entering from other states that were considered a virus threat. That’s now changed again, with COVID testing taking the place of most quarantines.
Unfortunately, with the colder weather and more people staying indoors, New York City’s infection rate is slowly creeping up again, and is almost up to 2%. That’s the benchmark Mayor de Blasio has said could trigger business closures and more restrictions on gatherings.
Mask use is one of the best ways to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, there are still people who are non-compliant with wearing one, or with wearing it correctly.
Therefore, effective earlier this week, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey will begin imposing $50 fines on those who refuse to wear a mask at LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark airports; PATH stations and trains; AirTrain stations and trains; the Midtown Bus Terminal; the GWB Bus Station; and the Oculus in Lower Manhattan.
“This move is part of agency’s commitment to supporting the New York and New Jersey state requirements on mask-wearing in transportation facilities,” the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a release.
“By making individuals not wearing masks subject to a $50 fine, we are emphasizing the criticality of the mask mandate,” Port Authority executive director Rick Cotton told the NY Daily News. “We’re still going to put heavy heavy reliance on achieving voluntary compliance.”
The Port Authority will enforce the fines in the parts of airports and train stations where its police department has jurisdiction. That area includes virtually all of Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark-Liberty airports except for the “sterile zones” managed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
So mask up or pay up, “youse guys.”
Feature Photo: Linda Fletcher/Wikimedia
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#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands #wearamask
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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