Parents threatened with fines for letting kids play in groups in a Massachusetts town
Parents in a Massachusetts town could face a $300 fine each day their kids are caught hanging outside in groups, media outlets reported.
It’s a move other towns could follow if more people continue to violate stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Health officials in Cohasset, Mass. sent a handful of letters to families after the town police department was called to break up a “group of young people,” according to WHDH TV.
“We urge you and members of your family to please take the State of Emergency Order seriously to literally save lives,” Pamela Fahey, the town’s health agent wrote in the letter, according to WHDH TV and Boston.com.
The letters had their desired effect, Cohasset Town Manager Christopher Senior told the Boston Globe, because police haven’t been called to disperse any more gatherings.
“Moral suasion can be very effective,” Senior told the outlet.
Town officials also spread the word about the fine via social media, he said, and further through informal conversations between residents.
“Residents are only to leave their homes to address essential needs such as visits to grocery stores, restaurants for take-out, pharmacies, gas stations and to get some fresh air and exercise,” WHDH TV reported. “Unnecessary contact outside of immediate family is to be avoided until further notice.”
Officials also highlighted the “presumed high rate” of infections among younger people who may not show any symptoms and are “unknowingly spreading the disease,” Boston Globe said of the letter.
The stay-at-home advisory in Massachusetts runs through May 4, according to NBC Boston.
More than 2.6 million cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 185,000 deaths as of April 23, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 843,000 confirmed cases with more than 46,000 deaths.
