U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams is expressing deep concern about the drawbacks of a mask mandate being enforced due to the possibility of “over-policing.”
During an interview with Fox News affiliate Fox5, Adams was asked about the accelerated uptick in coronavirus cases and the possibility of a federal mask mandate.
Adams offered a number of reasons why he does not see a mask mandate being implemented, starting with remarks about the National Guard. According to Adams, armed forces would not be deployed to enforce masks.
“We aren’t going to send in the National Guard or the Army to enforce a national mandate. We don’t have an enforcement mechanism really to do that, number one,” Adams said.
He explained a number of reasons why a mask mandate would likely lead to more racially-charged obstacles. Adams believes masks could result in an increased number of infractions between police officers and Black Americans.
See Adams’ remarks below:
Adams fears masks will create yet another issue that could lead to “over-policing.”
“Number two, in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement, when we have people being killed for handing out single cigarettes or for falling asleep in a fast food line, I really worry about over-policing and having a situation where you’re giving people one more reason to arrest a Black man.”
Adams’ latest remarks follow his previous interview where he shared his reaction to George Floyd’s death.
At the time, Adams admitted that Floyd’s death affected him because of how easily his own circumstances could change when he is not in uniform, as previously reported on IJR.
Over the last three months, Adams has played a key role in the handling of the coronavirus often stressing the importance of practicing social distancing and adhering to the guidelines crafted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As of Thursday morning, there are more than 3.1 million known coronavirus cases in the United States. As the country’s infection rate continues to rise, more cities and states are incorporating mask mandates.