Remember how we emptied out the jails and told everyone to wear masks?
It turns out there are consequences for our decisions.
A surge in armed robberies have been reported in multiple regions of the country, including Southeast Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Chicago, and California.
Criminals are exploiting the social acceptance of face masks due to the coronavirus in order to stage a series of armed robberies in southern California.
Last week, two men, one wearing a mask, robbed a gas station in the city of Santa Ana at gunpoint.
"We're sitting here not knowing who's going to walk through that door," Elias Khawan, the owner, told CBS Los Angeles.
"It's horrible," he said. "I mean, I know we have to take certain measures because of what's happening with COVID-19, but it's the perfect script or manual for a robber — the mask, the sunshade, and a hoodie."’s department of transportation. The state’s mandatory quarantine runs through the end of June, Gov. David Ige said this week.
He added his staff are now terrified to work the late-night shift.
"It's the norm," Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, with Santa Ana PD, told CBS Los Angeles. "So we're seeing more and more suspects wearing the mask and using that to their benefit."
Santa Ana police added that robberies had increased by 50% since the lockdown. The release of some inmates, previously from the area, due to the pandemic could be behind the crime wave, local police believe.
Across the United States crimes are being pulled off in no small part because so many of us are now wearing masks, according to the Associated Press.