Fresno County Sheriff says her deputies won’t enforce Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mask order
Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims joined several other California sheriffs in saying she won’t enforce Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide mask order.
“The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office will not take enforcement actions against those who are not complying with face mask guidelines. Our agency does not have the resources to direct toward this type of enforcement,” Mims said in a statement to The Bee.
Newsom announced the order Thursday as California’s coronavirus cases continue to climb. Fresno County has seen a record number of new cases this week, surpassing 3,000 total cases since March.
The new rules are intended to prevent people who are infected with COVID-19 but not showing symptoms from spreading the virus, according to an announcement by the California Department of Public Health.
Fresno County’s Interim Health Officer Dr. Rais Vohra said during a Friday media briefing that he is a “big supporter” of wearing masks and facial coverings.
He also said the county is awaiting clarity from the state on the new mask order since there are a number of exemptions.
“That is really the work of this weekend: trying to see how this face covering guidance synchronizes with a lot of the other guidances that have been rolled out,” Vohra said. “We understand that the public and many of you probably have a lot of questions about specific situations where face coverings may or may not be mandatory at this point. I totally understand that. We’re going to try to work through that and provide clarity as best as we can with the understanding that the statewide order is now in effect.”
There’s been a lot of public resistance to wearing face masks and coverings in Fresno. Fresno County Supervisors have in general not worn masks when making public appearances or during meetings. Fresno City Councilmember Garry Bredefeld for the most part has defied a mask rule at Fresno City Hall. Several Fresno businesses have been fined for not enforcing mask and social distancing rules.
Vohra acknowledged that certain types of masks can be uncomfortable and said there is room for innovation to make different masks for different settings or purposes.
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 3:03 PM.