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As COVID rates rise, Mendoza says, 'We have to look into enforcement measures'

Monroe County public health commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza
Max Schulte/WXXI News
Monroe County public health commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza

With an increasing COVID-19 infection rate, Monroe County's commissioner of public health says it's time to consider how to enforce health guidelines such as mask wearing and social distancing.

Dr. Michael Mendoza tells WXXI  News that County Executive Adam Bello and his team have been  talking with law enforcement leaders about how to do that.

Up until now, Mendoza and Bello have favored education over enforcement.

"Where I wish we could have ended was that people did the right thing because it was the right thing to do for our neighbors," he said. "I still have hope in that but we still have to look into these enforcement measures."

Click on the LISTEN link below to hear an interview with Dr. Mendoza on the issue of enforcement, expanded coronavirus testing in schools, and what he wants to see from a Biden administration with regard to the pandemic.

Beth Adams joined WXXI as host of Morning Edition in 2012 after a more than two-decade radio career. She was the longtime host of the WHAM Morning News in Rochester. Her career also took her from radio stations in Elmira, New York, to Miami, Florida.