This State Now Requires Masks in Public

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued a statewide order mandating the use of facemasks in public, as more counties reconsider their regulations and the state continues to experience an increase in coronavirus-related hospitalizations as businesses reopen.

“Science shows that face coverings and masks work,” Newsom said in a statement announcing the order. “They are critical to keeping those who are around you safe, keeping businesses open and restarting our economy.”

The order comes as California broadly reopens the economy; in most counties, people can now shop, dine in at restaurants, get their hair done and go to church, among other things. Meanwhile, coronavirus cases are increasing, something the state says is expected as more people get tested. More than 3,400 people were in the hospital as of Wednesday, the most patients hospitalized since April. . .

The order will require people to wear masks when inside or in line for any indoor public spaces, in health care settings like hospitals and pharmacies, while waiting for or riding public transportation and in outdoor spaces where it’s not possible to stay six feet apart from other people.

Until now, the Democratic governor had let local governments decide whether to mandate masks, an issue that’s become politically fraught as some Americans resist orders to wear them. He said he’s issuing the order now because too many people are going out in public without face coverings as businesses, restaurants and other sectors of the economy reopen. (Read more from “This State Now Requires Masks in Public” HERE)

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