State College police have so far issued 26 COVID-19 masking and distancing ordinance violations
Citations for COVID-19 ordinance violations, which carry a $300 fine, continue to pile up in State College.
The borough has issued 26 citations since enacting in August a temporary ordinance that limits gathering sizes, requires people to wear face coverings in public and restricts waiting lines on sidewalks outside of businesses.
The average age of those who received citations was about 21, according to Centre County district court records. None were younger than 19, nor older than 23.
Each citation was issued for gatherings of more than 10 people who are not from the same household, according to court records.
Twenty-five of the 26 citations were issued from Aug. 24 to Sunday, the borough wrote in a statement released Friday. About 59 violations of the municipal law that seeks to mitigate the potential spread of the new coronavirus were reported during the same time.
State College police and borough officials initially embarked on an awareness and educational campaign before handing out citations.
“The hope is to achieve compliance from everyone; however, police and other enforcement officers will continue to issue citations for violations of the ordinance,” the borough said in a statement.
The temporary ordinance can be enforced by police, health officers, ordinance enforcement officers and emergency management personnel.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 2:30 PM.