A member of the Nashville, Tennessee, Metro Council made a rather draconian suggestion to penalize non-mask wearers- try them for murder.

Last week, Sharon Hurt, an at-large member of the Nashville Metro Council, made a startling inquiry. Hurt asked Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s director of legislative affairs, Mike Jameson, on whether individuals who refuse to wear a mask can be tried for murder. Hurt began by saying that as a person who is working for an AIDS organization, she believes that people who refuse to wear a mask should be tried for attempted murder. She added that “this person who may very well pass this virus that’s out in the air because they’re not wearing a mask is basically doing the same thing to someone who contracts it and dies from it.”

Hurt claimed that Nashville’s steps to mitigate the spread of coronavirus had become “reactive” instead of being “proactive.” She also believed that when enforcement officers give out the penalties, it is already too late, citing the need for a heavier penalty against non-mask wearers. Jameson responded to Hurts’ suggestion. The Mayor’s senior advisor cited that the city had already implemented an ordinance that would make people accountable for their refusal to wear masks. He listed that individuals who are “flagrantly violating” the ordinance are either issued with citations, or other criminal violations, including disorderly conduct or assault.

He continued that the city had made people accountable for their actions, especially those that were “allegedly” unintentionally coughing at someone’s face. However, as far as the city is concerned, they cannot create their own criminal legislation or class of criminal offenses. Hurt said that she had already expected to hear a no as an answer. She claimed that the entire point of her inquiry was that she felt that the situation is not taken as “seriously” as it should have been.

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According to the Nashville Voice, Hurt had worked as an executive director for Street Works, a leading Nashville organization that aims to end the epidemic of HIV/AIDS.

In a report from Fox News 17, Nashville Metro Police have arrested three men on Saturday as a part of the enhanced implementation of mandatory face masks. The violators who were identified as Deshawn Williams, Patrick Walls and Jesse Burger were charged with violating the County Board of Health regulation.

In a new study from Vanderbilt research, experts revealed that Tennessee counties that had required its residents to wear a face mask or facial covering had significantly lower hospitalizations, as opposed to areas that do not implement the use of face masks.

Based on the analysis, hospitals that have patients from mask-mandated counties only had a 30 percent increase since July 1. However, patients who did not come from mask-mandated counties saw a whopping 200 percent increase within the same period.

Even President Donald Trump encouraged Americans to wear a mask, noting that it could make a difference.”