Mexican mayor threatens to impose jail time or community service on residents refusing to wear face masks
A Mexican mayor has threatened his residents will jail time or community service if they refuse to wear face coverings as the city combats the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
San Pedro Mixtepec mayor Freddy Gil issued the order Friday and said it will remain in place for 30 days.
Anyone dismissing the order will be subject to six hours in jail or could be ordered to do three hours of community service or could be fined 150 Mexican pesos - or US$7.
'More than about law, it's about justice, because it's not fair that we continue to spread the virus if the authorities don't do something forceful, something that really shakes the citizens,' Gil said, according to Mexican newspaper Diario Marca.
Freddy Gil, the mayor of San Pedro Mixtepec, a city in the southwestern Mexican state of Oaxaca, imposed an order that went into effect Friday that will jail residents for up to six hours if they are found in the streets without face mask. Rule breakers could also be subject to three hours of community service or a $7 fine
Pictured above is a stretch of a beach in Puerto Escondido, a coastal town in the southwestern Mexico state of Oaxaca
Gil said that as many as 50 people could be held in custody at any given moment, with cells set to hold as many as 10 rule breakers. The coastal municipality mayor added that the jails will also be sanitized as a safety measure.
'We're working hard ... so that no person is walking around the streets without face masks,' Gil said.
A similar edict was also set in motion by the mayors of the nearby cities of San Pedro Pochutla y Santos Reyes Nopala.
As of Monday, Mexico ranked 10th in the globe with 851,227 positive cases and it's fourth with 86,167.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the Mexico coastal city of Puerto Escondido is attracting visitors. The town is known of its beaches and nightlife
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the Mexico coastal city of Puerto Escondido is attracting visitors. The town is known of its beaches and nightlife
Pictured above is a section of a beach in Puerto Escondido, a town off the Pacific Coast in the southwestern state of Oaxaca.
The ravaging virus has produced 19,831 cases and 1,578 deaths in the southwestern state of Oaxaca.
Latest figures showed that San Pedro Mixtepec, which is located off the Pacific Coast, listed 179 positive cases and at least 18 deaths.
The city is home to a significant stretch of Puerto Escondido, a town known for its beaches and nightlife.
Despite the menacing virus, Gil said that he has not considered shutting down the beaches, bars and restaurant that are a driving force for the city's economy.