After an outcry over racial disparities in New York City's enforcement of social distancing, the mayor planned to double the ranks of non-police workers trying to persuade people to comply with the policy, AP reported.

"The number of city workers deployed as social distancing ambassadors will soon grow from around 1,000 to 2,300," Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

"More and more, the emphasis will be on a communicative” approach, the Democrat said. "The last thing we want to see is enforcement if there's any other way to get the job done."