Rapper Post Malone said he opposes strict lockdown measures and he doesn’t think the government should be forcing people to wear masks to stop the spread of COVID-19, though he urges the public to cover their face anyway.
‘It’s weird to me that there is, it’s like me in school, having to f*****g tuck in your shirt, or else you get detention or whatever,’ the six-time Grammy nominee told Joe Rogan on his popular podcast The Joe Rogan Experience on Wednesday.
‘It’s weird to be forced to wear something.’
The artist whose legal name is Austin Richard Post added: ‘At the end of the day, it all comes down to respect for other people.
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
Post Malone told podcaster Joe Rogan on Wednesday that he doesn’t agree with California cities fining residents for not wearing face coverings in public
People are seen above wearing masks as they walk by a closed Apple store in Santa Monica, Caliornia, on Tuesday
‘It’s not a government thing.’
Malone said he didn’t agree with a new policy enacted by several cities in and around Los Angeles that imposed fines of hundreds of dollars on those caught not wearing a mask in public.
‘You can get a fine for not wearing a mask and sometimes it’s up to $600,’ Malone said.
He then agreed with Rogan about the need to lift the lockdown in order to allow economic life to flourish once again.
‘Everybody has to live their life,’ Malone said.
‘Everybody has to be able to survive and pay their bills, and eat.’
As coronavirus cases continue to climb in California, some cities have stepped up efforts to force citizens to wear masks.
In April, Beverly Hills became the first city to mandate masks, threatening those who failed to comply with fines ranging from $100 for the first offense to $500 for the third and subsequent offenses.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies earlier this month said they would begin issuing citations for residents of West Hollywood who did not wear masks in public.
First-time offenders will be hit with a $250 fine and a $50 fee for a total of $300, according to LASD.
Last month, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statewide ordering requiring everyone to wear a face covering.
Malone was not in favor of the new policy.
‘LA is rough … $300 because maybe someone sees you eating and you don’t have a mask on, and then you’re stuck with a f*****g ticket,’ he said.
‘It blows my mind.’
California health officials reported the state’s first coronavirus death of a child on Friday as the statewide tally of fatalities surpassed 9,000, saying the victim was a teenager who had other health conditions.
The teenager’s death occurred in the Central Valley, but officials at the state Department of Public Health released no other details, citing privacy rules.
The Central Valley is the state’s major agricultural region and recently has become one of California’s hot spots for the virus.
It’s extremely rare for children to die of the coronavirus. As of mid-July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 228 children had died of the disease in the United States, less than 0.2 per cent of the nation’s deaths at the time.
In California, more than 9,000 people have now died from the virus, and three-quarters were 65 and older.
Only about 9 per cent of California’s nearly half-million confirmed virus cases are children, and very few have suffered conditions serious enough for hospitalization, according to state data.
Scientists still aren’t certain why children don’t seem to be as seriously affected by the virus as adults.