Mexican mayor threatens jail time on residents refusing to wear masks

A MEXICAN mayor has threatened his residents with jail time or community service if they refuse to wear face masks as the city combats the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

San Pedro Mixtepec Mayor Freddy Gil issued the order Friday, October 16, 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 fined 150 Mexican pesos (€6,00)

‘It’s 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.

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.

As of Monday, Mexico ranked 10th in the world with 851,227 positive cases and it’s fourth with 86,167.

The latest figures showed that San Pedro Mixtepec, which is located off the Pacific Coast, listed 179 positive cases and at least 18 deaths.

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