{"id":1129313,"date":"2021-12-17T18:44:17","date_gmt":"2021-12-17T23:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1129313"},"modified":"2021-12-17T18:44:21","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T23:44:21","slug":"new-hampshire-city-council-votes-to-fine-people-up-to-250-for-not-wearing-masks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-hampshire-city-council-votes-to-fine-people-up-to-250-for-not-wearing-masks\/","title":{"rendered":"New Hampshire City Council Votes to Fine People Up to $250 for Not Wearing Masks"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnew-hampshire-city-council-votes-to-fine-people-up-to-250-for-not-wearing-masks%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1129313&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">City council members of Keene, New Hampshire, voted on Thursday to continue to enact regressive coronavirus policies, opting to mandate masks in indoor areas yet again. However, the Keene City Council took the policy a step further, choosing to fine \u201crepeat violators\u201d up to $250.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday night, in a 10-3 vote, city councilors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sentinelsource.com\/news\/local\/keene-city-council-reinstates-indoor-mask-mandate-effective-monday\/article_89b841e9-dff9-5c7f-a947-83757d2e1ba5.html\">opted<\/a> to reinstitute a mask mandate for all indoor spaces in Keene. The rule, which goes into effect Monday, applies to all ages ten and older, with exceptions for those with certain disabilities. However, while previous mandates across the country would often target businesses for failure of compliance, the Keene City Council voted \u201cto fine repeat violators rather than penalize businesses that fail to enforce the new rules.\u201d That includes a verbal and written warning upon the first infraction. The second time, the maskless individual will face a $100 fine, and the following violations rise to $250.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>City Manager Elizabeth Dragon stated that police will be responsible for enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur police department will focus on educating the public,\u201d Dragon said. \u201cThey\u2019re very good at that. I\u2019m confident we\u2019ll be able to come up with a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to reports, the council will review the measure \u201cfor possible termination at least every 60 days.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>City council members effectively <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sentinelsource.com\/news\/local\/city-council-set-to-vote-on-mask-mandate-following-committee-approval\/article_2b1c23d0-c8cf-5980-a98a-7f34b5152c2d.html\">ignored<\/a> the cries of the public, who made their concerns over the then-proposed mandate clear during a public hearing weeks ago:<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"18\">\n<p>But most people who spoke Wednesday night warned city councilors against restricting their freedoms, often questioning the consensus among medical experts that masks are effective at reducing viral transmission.<\/p>\n<p>Dave Rossall said people should \u201ctake responsible steps\u201d to combat COVID-19, including hand-washing and staying home when sick. Rossall pushed back on an indoor mask mandate, though, saying face coverings should be optional.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we should err on the side of freedom,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>According to the report from the <em>Keene Sentinel<\/em>, several business owners also warned that the mandate would \u201cscare off customers and prove difficult, or even dangerous, for employees to enforce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But&nbsp;Dr. Don Caruso, president and CEO of Cheshire Medical Center, is among those who evidently believes he knows what is best, concluding that, when people had the choice to wear a mask, they made \u201cthe wrong decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reality is that masks make a difference,\u201d he said. \u201cPersonal choice is one way we tried to go. When we tried personal choice, people made the wrong decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15799890\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"32\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1168244419.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15799890\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1168244419.jpg\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ward 5 Councilor Philip Jones, who supported the requirement, argued to his colleagues that they had a \u201csocial conscience\u201d to bring back a mask mandate.<\/p>\n<p>The city council\u2019s vote follows the lead of blue states such as California and New York, both of which are reintroducing different forms of mask mandates in the wake of the omicron variant, which public health officials <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/12\/07\/anthony-fauci-omicron-variant-might-even-be-less-severe-than-delta\/\">say<\/a> \u201cmight even be less severe\u201d than the Delta variant.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, Florida has never once had a mask mandate in place. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) went as far as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/03\/11\/gov-desantis-cancels-local-coronavirus-fines-in-florida-we-want-to-make-sure-folks-are-protected\/\">canceling<\/a> local fines related to local mask mandates \u2014 yet it has continued to&nbsp;have&nbsp;among the lowest coronavirus case rates per capita in the nation \u2014 a trend that has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2021\/us\/covid-cases.html\">carried<\/a> on for weeks on end.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_13824817\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"36\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1218644494.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13824817\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/GettyImages-1218644494.jpg\" alt=\"MIAMI, FL - JUNE 08: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is seen during a press conference relating hurricane season updates at the Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center on June 8, 2020 in Miami, Florida. NOAA has predicted that this year&#039;s Atlantic hurricane season will be more active than usual with up to 19 named storms and 6 major hurricanes possible. (Photo by Eva Marie Uzcategui\/Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is seen during a press conference on June 8, 2020, in Miami, Florida (Eva Marie Uzcategui\/Getty Images).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>City council members of Keene, New Hampshire, voted on Thursday to continue to enact regressive coronavirus policies, opting to mandate masks in indoor areas yet again. However, the Keene City &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1129313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1129313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1129313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1129313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1129313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1129313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1129313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}