Law enforcement officials in Texas say they will not enforce the newly enacted ruling requiring mask to be worn in public.
After the Texas governor ordered masks to be worn in public in any county with at least 20 Covid-19 cases on 2 July, multiple county sheriffs vowed not to enforce the rule.
The sheriff of Denton County, which encompasses part of the city of Dallas-Fort Worth, called the mandate an “executive order not a law” and said it is too difficult to enforce.
The office of the sheriff of Montgomery County, just north of Houston, said it will not enforce the order for fear it could be sued by the people who are stopped.
The governor’s order calls for warnings for people who do not wear masks, and a $250 (£200) fine for multiple offenders. But officers say they will not know who is a multiple offender, because they will not be documenting any individual incident.
The order also specifically says no citizen can be arrested or jailed for refusing to wear a mask. Critics in law enforcement say this makes the mandate legally impossible to enforce.
Source:Â bbc.com