While it is still important that we do our part to defeat the threat of COVID-19, there certainly seems to be a bit of gamesmanship going as to which city can impose the most draconian measures in their virus-battling efforts.
in New Jersey this week, a state that is in the stressful shadow of New York City, there were reports that police resorted to using talking drones to enforce the stay-at-home order used to stifle the virus.
Now, clear across the country, a local sheriff is warning residents that not wearing a mask in public would not only get you arrested, but it could cost you up to $1,000.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco announced the tougher measures after the department lost two deputies to Covid-19.
The mandate went into effect on Sunday after Riverside University Health System indicated 946 confirmed coronavirus cases in the county.
“This is a valid order and enforceable by fine, imprisonment or both,” Bianco said on Monday in a video statement.
He added: “Not everybody’s getting the message.
“It started with staying at home, social distance and covering your face. But now we change from saying that you should to saying that you must.
“Right now, you could be a carrier of this virus, spreading it to your family and friends.”
All of this lockdown-style governance has had freedom experts sounding the alarm, believing that once a government adopts such stringent measures, it is often difficult to convince them drop them.
