NEW YORK (US) – Americans were involved in debates over mandates regarding wearing masks and the reopening of schools amid the coronavirus pandemic on Friday. Officials have been facing the heat, as cases rose by more than 70,000 across the nation for the second day in a row.
The United States recorded a total of at least 70,674 new COVID-19 infections on Friday.
US deaths on Friday rose by at least 912, the fourth day in a row that fatalities have crossed 900 a day.
Governor Brian Kemp, however, sued Atlanta’s mayor to prevent her from making masks mandatory, in the state of Georgia,.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a plan wherein both in-person and remote instruction would be offered at the nation’s third-largest school district.
Americans have been having diverse opinions over mask orders on grounds of their political inclination. Conservatives are more likely than liberals to call the rules a violation of their Constitutional rights.
Sharon Taylor, 48, a cardiothoracic nurse in Atlanta, said, “Everybody saying that (wearing a mask) is a violation of their freedom – no, it’s not. Because a seatbelt is mandated and that’s to save your life.”
TRUMP SAYS WON’T ORDER MASKS
At least 30 of the state’s 58 counties were on the list and schools in the location have remained closed. Among them are Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego counties, which makes for nearly 40% of the state’s population.
President Donald Trump has urged returning to the normal, stressing the importance of getting the economy back in form. The Trump administration and some health experts have been arguing that children are way better in classrooms when it comes to their development, and parents must be allowed to return to work.
Trump, however, said on Friday he did not believe in implementing a mask mandate nationally.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, demanded political leaders to “be as forceful as possible in getting your citizenry to wear masks.”
Miami Beach, Florida imposed an 8 pm curfew after social media posts showed people cramming into restaurant spaces.
Oklahoma City’s council voted for an indoor mask requirement when a statewide face-covering mandate is not being properly followed.
Kemp, a Republican and Trump supporter, asked all Georgians to wear masks for at least four weeks.
Atlanta’s Democratic Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has tested positive for the coronavirus, told on Friday, “Brian Kemp does the bidding of President Trump.”
Louis Charles, 68, of Atlanta, agreed with the mayor on Friday as he wore a mask, while sorting his mail outside a post office.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.