With COVID-19 numbers on the rise in several New York City neighborhoods, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that people who refuse to wear a mask could face a fine.
The mayor says the city will send out staff members to hand out masks to those without them and spread information in neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens that have seen an uptick.
Areas include Gravesend, Homecrest, Midwood, Borough Park, Gerritsen Beach, Sheepshead Bay and Flatlands. These neighborhoods, in addition to some neighborhoods in Queens, have fueled the city’s surge in COVID-19 rate, which has now reached 3.25%.
Anyone who refuses to wear a face covering will be fined, says the mayor.
The mayor also says private schools who do not comply with city guidelines for social distancing and the mask mandate could face possible closure.