Cases of coronavirus in some parts of the U.S. are going higher and higher, with no end in sight. Although our country had managed to keep our numbers relatively down for a while (well, kinda sorta, at least in comparison to now) as states re-open from their stay-at-home orders, numbers are spiking.
Wearing a facial covering and maintaining a distance of at least 6′ or more will help decrease the chances of spreading the potentially fatal virus. Unfortunately, some people refuse to wear one because of reasons.
Without any sort of federal entity taking the lead, states have had to take matters into their own hands. In states where high ranking elected officials refuse to make the appropriate changes, city and county politicians have tried to take the lead and stop the spread in their respective areas, by mandating wearing facial coverings.
As of this writing, the states of Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington State, as well as Washington D.C. have mandated the public use a facial mask.
Counties in the San Francisco Bay area and San Diego County in CA, Broward, Orange (Disney World), Osceola, Pinellas, and Monroe (Key West) Counties in FL, Lancaster County in NE, Durham County in NC, Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Hood River, Marion, Polk and Lincoln Counties in OR, Bexar, Hays, Hidalgo and Travis Counties in Texas, Spokane County in WA, Milwaukee County in WI all require the use of a face mask.
The cities of Avondale, Bisbee, Casa Grande, Carefree, Flagstaff, Gila River Indian Community, Kingman, Mesa, Payson, Phoenix, San Luis, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Scottsdale, Somerton, Tempe, Tolleson, Tucson and Yuma, AZ, Denver, Boulder and Aspen, CO, Tampa and Miami FL, Nashua, NH, Raleigh, NC and Austin, TX mandate the use of a face mask.
There are undoubtedly others, but I couldn’t find any sort of master list that’s “live.” If I need to make an addition (or subtraction – some of my sources were upwards of 2 weeks old), please let me know.
Each state, county and city has its own interpretation of their “mask mandate.” Some require the public to wear a facial covering any time they’re inside, some only require it during certain times (i.e. when social distancing is difficult). Some have specific ages, some don’t. Some explain their plans for enforcement, others are more vague.
The bottom line is, you should wear a mask ANY time out outside your home and near people; it can potentially stop others from getting sick, from continuing the spread, and possibly even dying. But for those of you who just won’t (sigh), if you’re traveling, even if it’s just outside of your own county, do your homework and keep a facial cover in your pocket, in case the place you’re traveling to has a mandate for mask use. If the thought that you could potentially unwittingly have a hand in someone getting sick or dying doesn’t bother you, maybe the threat of a $500 fine for not wearing a mask will.
Feature Photo: Joyce Costello/U.S. Army Europe
#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
