The police chief in the Central Valley city of Turlock went on Facebook Live to explain why his officers escorted two unmasked children from a Walmart.

The statement Sunday by Chief Nino Amirfar followed news coverage of the previous day’s incident.

A shopper at the Walmart had posted video of three officers escorting a family from the store. A man wearing his facemask under his chin is talking angrily on his phone as he walks out — he refers to poor use of taxpayer money. He is followed by a girl and a boy who look to be between 6 and 10 years old; neither wears a mask.

At the end of the video, one of the officers stops and explains to onlookers that the store manager called police because the family had refused to leave after being confronted over their lack of masks. “It’s basically trespassing, and that’s how we’ll deal with it,” he says.

Amirfar’s message reinforced the officer’s account. The shoppers, he said, had the right not to wear masks as required by the state’s coronavirus guidelines, and the business had the right to ask them to leave.

“If that business refuses to serve you and asks you to leave,” he says, “you should leave.”

Amirfar said that Turlock officers “will not be citing people for not wearing facemasks.”

California’s “guidance” on the matter says that, as of June 18, “Californians must wear face coverings in common and public indoor spaces.”

The few exemptions include children 2 years old or younger; people who are hearing-impaired or communicating with a hearing-impaired person; and people who have a medical condition, mental health condition or disability that prevents wearing a face covering.

Also on Saturday, the mayor of Nevada City drew an impassioned response with a social media post about the “tyranny” of facemask rules.

The document on the guidelines is embedded below.