Beachfront City In California Hires Private Mask-Enforcement Officers

Los Angeles Times: Hermosa Beach Hires Private Officers To Enforce Mask Order 
Hermosa Beach is tapping personnel from a private consulting firm to help its Police Department enforce an ordinance requiring face coverings in many public areas, city officials said. Four health ordinance enforcement officers from Willdan Group began assisting the Hermosa Beach Police Department on Saturday, Police Chief Paul LeBaron said. Officials plan to see how it goes over the weekend to determine how many of them will be needed moving forward and for how long. (Wigglesworth, 8/8)

AP: Local Control Dispute Brewing Over Iowa Mask Mandates
The refusal of Gov. Kim Reynolds to require Iowans to wear masks in public has prompted at least three cities and a county to adopt their own local ordinances, setting up what could be a legal battle over whether local officials have the authority to impose mask rules in the absence of a governor’s mandate. Local government control also has become an issue in Iowa as a few school boards have said they may refuse to abide by Reynolds’ demands to send students back to classrooms if they feel it’s unsafe due to coronavirus spread. (Pitt, 8/9)

The New York Times: Georgia Businessman Charged With Hoarding Face Masks And Price Gouging 
A Georgia businessman has been charged with hoarding 200,000 face masks that he bought from a foreign country and selling them for twice as much as he paid on his baby clothing website, according to the Department of Justice. The man, Milton Ayimadu, 22, allegedly bought the masks from an unnamed foreign country for $2.50 each. He sold the masks for $5.00 each through his website, babypuupu.com, which also sells baby clothing and accessories, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Georgia. (Fazio, 8/7)

AP: Health Officials In Colorado Conduct Mask Wearing Recon
They really are watching you. From their cars and trucks, parked in the lots of King Soopers, Whole Foods and the corner store, they are staring out their vehicle windows as you shop. But these guys — volunteers from the public health department — are only interested in what’s on your face. Mask or no mask. (Brown, 8/9)

The Hill: Woman Claiming To Be From 'Freedom To Breathe Agency' Gets Into Viral Exchange With Store Employee Over Mask Policy 
California woman claiming to be from a group called the “Freedom to Breathe Agency” was seen in a viral video warning a grocery store employee in Orange County that she could face legal consequences after reportedly being told masks were required in the store. The worker and store supervisor, Liz Chavez, told BuzzFeed News the confrontation occurred shortly after she approached the woman, who was seen along with another woman in the video donning “FTBA” badges and hats, about the business’s mask policy on Thursday. (Folley, 8/9)

In other mask news —

AP: Israeli Jeweler Makes $1.5m Gold Coronavirus Mask
An Israeli jewelry company is working on what it says will be the world’s most expensive coronavirus mask, a gold, diamond-encrusted face covering with a price tag of $1.5 million. The 18-karat white gold mask will be decorated with 3,600 white and black diamonds and fitted with top-rated N99 filters at the request of the buyer, said designer Isaac Levy. (Scharf, 8/9)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee-Area Psychotherapists Explain Why Some People Refuse Masks
Mask wearing. Chances are you have an opinion when it comes to wearing one to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But where does that opinion come from? Is it ideological? Political? Philosophical? Whether it’s some, all or none of the above, there’s a good chance that at least part of one's stance on mask-wearing is rooted in psychology. (Dohr, 8/7)

CNN: Face Mask Study: Researchers Determined Which Masks Are The Least Effective 
Schools are reopening, amusement parks are welcoming back visitors, and outdoor dining is the new way to eat out. But despite the signs that life is returning back to normal, the coronavirus pandemic has gone nowhere. That's why a group of researchers at Duke University created a simple technique to analyze the effectiveness of various types of masks which have become a critical component in stopping the spread of the virus. (Elassar, 8/8)

Los Angeles Times: Strict Mask Rules? Empty Middle Seats? We Compare Airlines’ COVID-19 Policies
Devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, some U.S. airlines are hoping to put potential passengers at ease by imposing tougher rules for mask wearing, including threats of banning fliers who refuse to cover their faces. All of the nation’s largest carriers require that passengers wear masks or other face coverings during the flight and while boarding and exiting the planes, with an exemption for small children and allowances for briefly removing the masks to eat, drink or take medication. (Martin, 8/8)

And masks are now required outside at a famous French resort —

AP: France's Saint-Tropez Resort Makes Masks Mandatory Outdoors
The glamorous French Riviera resort of Saint-Tropez began requiring face masks outdoors Saturday, threatening to sober the mood in a place renowned for high-end, free-wheeling summer beach parties. More French cities and towns, especially in tourist areas, are imposing mask requirements as the country’s coronavirus infections creep up again. More than 2,000 new infections were reported on Friday — the country’s biggest single-day rise since May. (8/8)