Orthodox Jewish areas may see mask fines

Alarmed by a spike in coronavirus infections in a few Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, New York City officials will start issuing fines in those areas to people who refuse to wear masks, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday.

De Blasio said he was sending teams of hundreds of outreach workers and contact tracers to nine Brooklyn and Queens ZIP codes that have seen an upswing in positive COVID-19 tests in hopes of avoiding harsher enforcement measures.

Those workers will be handing out masks, but also insisting that people put them on if they are in a place where they could be within 6 feet of other people.

“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. That will happen aggressively,” de Blasio said.

The maximum fine for refusing to wear a mask is $1,000. “We don’t want to fine people. If we have to, we will,” de Blasio said.

The Democratic mayor warned he could order further crackdowns including the closing of nonessential businesses and bans on gatherings if things don’t improve. Private schools and child care centers could be closed if people refuse to comply with coronavirus guidelines, de Blasio said.

“It is a situation at this point that is very serious and we need to have all options on the table,” de Blasio said.

The nine ZIP codes accounted for 25% of the city’s positive tests in the last two weeks though they are collectively home to just 7% of the city’s population, city Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi said.