If only there were some way to punish people who violate government mandated measures. Like, I don't know, maybe we could dress some people up with a uniform and badge, and give them the authority to stop violators and "fine" or "incarcerate" them. Some kind of "justice system" or something. I don't know, this is a new invention I'm coming up with on the fly.

We had this problem in the USA, too. All these "mandates" flying around, and governments congratulating themselves over their stay-at-home "orders", yet very little to nothing in the way of enforcement. We seem to be able to enforce drunk driving and seatbelt laws, but when it comes to masks and preventing gatherings, we're flummoxed! Suddenly, nobody knows how to enforce the rules anymore!

One cannot always just tell police to enforce restrictions and that is that. Courts have the right to review laws and decrees, after all, and in some countries courts have found that the government exceeded its authority by imposing mask laws, social distancing, or business closures. Consequently, police could give you a fine, but that fine would be dismissed when you go to court. After a series of defeats in court, ruling parties may then ask police to stop enforcing the restrictions, because the embarrassment could help cost them the next election.

Again, COVID restrictions ultimately require some kind of mandate from the people. If a country’s government is unable to legally impose restrictions within its current constitutional order, and it is unable to gather sufficient votes to amend the constitution, then it will simply have to limit itself to public-health measures that the people will accept.

That's a horrible idea in today's social/political climate. Just try visualizing a police officer trying to arrest a black person for not wearing a mask. Or police being sent to gatherings in black neighborhoods. Sorry but I'd rather have more covid deaths than more riots and possibly a race war in my country.

Why would the color of their skin have anything to do with it?

It has everything to do with it when it comes to the U.S. If we were another country, maybe it would be acceptable to have police harrass people for not wearing masks. But in the U.S., giving police the license to harrass people minding their own business will inevitably result in more police brutality that affects some races more than others.

So, you shouldn't have laws at all, because they're enforced unevenly against some races? Is that what you're saying? I'm outspoken against police overreach and misconduct and even I won't go that far.

I wouldn't say that we shouldn't have laws. I just think it would be best for society if we avoided doing shit that will cause more riots. I think it's called consequentialism? Not sure. Whether or not it's a good idea to arrest/fine people who don't wear masks, I know for a fact that it will lead to disproportionately more black and brown people being at best fined/harrassed or at worst killed by police. So I am against it.

> Whether or not it's a good idea to arrest/fine people who don't wear masks, I know for a fact that it will lead to disproportionately more black and brown people being at best fined/harrassed or at worst killed by police. So I am against it.

In the context of the US, how does this differ from any other law? It sounds to me like this would lead to a situation where if people make it difficult enough to enforce the law then that law will stop applying to them.

I wish it wasn't like this, but it is what it s.