Police in Miami, Florida -- what experts call the country's coronavirus epicenter -- issued more than 300 citations in 10 days to individuals and businesses that aren't abiding by the local mask order.
"The growth rate (of cases) has shown flattening since we implemented the masks in public rule and we're following the advice of our health care professionals and our hospital administrators who are telling us that what we have to do now is focus on enforcement," Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told CNN Sunday. "We created a special task force just for that and we've been issuing hundreds of tickets over the course of the week."
The county has reported more than 100,000 coronavirus cases -- more cases than all but 12 states. Over the weekend, ICUs were at 137% capacity and there were about 334 patients on ventilators, about a 64% increase in two weeks, according to county data.
While Florida's governor hasn't ordered a statewide mandate, Miami-Dade County announced earlier this month it was tightening restrictions around its order on face coverings by punishing violators with a $100 fine. About 150 citations have gone to businesses and 174 citations to individuals, said Miami-Dade Police Department Detective Alvaro Zabaleta.
In Indiana, where a statewide mask order went into effect Monday morning, sheriffs in at least four counties said they wouldn't enforce the mandate, according to CNN affiliate WXIN.
"If a disturbance or other issue were to develop, deputies would respond as always; however, we will not respond solely for allegations of a violation of the executive order," said Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess, according to the affiliate.
In Ohio, where the governor issued a statewide mask order last week, one sheriff already said earlier this month he wouldn't be enforcing any sort of mandate, according to CNN affiliate WLWT.
"I can tell you this -- I am not the mask police. I am not going to enforce any mask-wearing. That is not my responsibility. That is not my job. People should be able to make those choices themselves," said Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones.
And even major retailers, like Walmart, who made headlines last week for new mask requirements for their customers, now says it won't prohibit anyone who refuses to wear a face covering from shopping in their stores.
But public health experts have highlighted that if Americans wore face masks and practiced consistent social distancing the effects could be drastic: Cases could begin to slow in a matter of weeks and the impact of both precautions could be nearly as effective as another round of lockdowns.
12 states report more than 100,000 cases
With a continuing upward trend, California is leading the country with the highest number of total infections -- more than 452,280 --- followed by Florida, New York and Texas.
At least 36 counties are on California's watch list and have been ordered to close many of their indoor operations. More than 8,100 deaths across the state have s
