West Virginia, Texas, Kansas, and parts of South Carolina recently enacted mask mandates, joining the 23 states that have implemented orders that make it mandatory to wear face coverings in public.
The states that have made mask-wearing mandatory in one way or another as of July 8 are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. Residents not wearing masks in these states may face penalties.
On Monday, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said there is no national mandate on wearing masks as it is a matter for states to decide, during an interview with “Fox & Friends.”
“Well, it’s certainly a state-to-state issue, as we look across the country, obviously the narrative is the COVID cases are rising, but testing is rising exponentially. We’ve now tested almost 10 percent of our country,” Meadows said as states experienced a surge in the cases of infection in the past few weeks as reopenings happen.
Some states have exempted children five years old or younger from wearing masks because of the risk of suffocation. Others exempt people with a medical condition, mental health condition or disability, those who are deaf or hard of hearing, and those eating at restaurants provided they are social distancing from others.
West Virginia
While West Virginia experienced its highest daily total of CCP virus cases during the weekend, Gov. Jim Justice (R) passed an executive order on Monday making wearing masks mandatory at all indoor public places where social distancing can not be maintained.The order requires all West Virginians age 9 and above to wear masks but exempts those who have trouble breathing or anyone who is otherwise unable to remove their face covering without assistance.
The wearing of masks does not apply inside the residents’ homes or vehicles or when consuming food or beverages inside a restaurant.
“If you don’t decide to wear the face-covering for yourself if you don’t decide to wear it for one of your loved ones or your friends, do it for the 95 West Virginians that have died, do it for the 95 people that we’ve lost,” said Justice.
Texas
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) issued an executive order on July 2 requiring all Texans above the age of 10 to wear face coverings in public places in counties with more than 20 positive cases of the CCP virus. He also gave the mayors and the county judges the authority to impose restrictions on some outdoor gatherings of over 10 people.“If Texans commit to wearing face coverings in public spaces and follow the best health and safety practices, we can both slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep Texas open for business,” said Abbott.
Kansas
The Governor of Kansas, Laura Kelly (D), on the other hand, passed an executive order on July 2, requiring everyone in the state from July 3 onward to cover their mouth and nose with a face covering while outdoor and while being indoor in businesses or organizations.The order said after a steady trend of “decreasing metrics” there has been an increase in the number of CCP virus linked deaths and hospitalizations and it’s important to take protective measures.
“This worrying trend of increased COVID-19 spread is a danger to the health and safety of every Kansan and also presents a serious threat to reopening and reviving the Kansas economy,” said the order.
“Whereas, wearing a mask in public is the easiest and most effective way to protect each other and help keep our businesses open and our economy running.”
The executive order by the governor making face coverings mandatory requires that people wear face coverings while inside or while entering indoor public space, while obtaining healthcare services, while waiting or riding public transport, and also while being outdoors in public spaces and unable to social distance.
For businesses or organizations, the order requires that all “employees, customers, visitors, members, or members of the public” wear masks or coverings when employees are working in a space that customers or other people visit. Employees should wear face coverings when they visit a space where food is prepared, packaged, or distributed.
Counties and Cities in South Carolina
Several cities in South Carolina like Columbia, Forest Acres, the town of Lexington, and several counties have made it mandatory to wear masks.Richland County Council adopted an “Emergency COVID-19 Mask Ordinance” order on Thursday which went into effect from July 6 and is based on the CDC’s guidelines which recommend face coverings for people above 2 years of age.
To gain people’s feedback on the issue, the county officials conducted an online poll last month and asked residents about the possible ordinance through phone, email, and social media.
The City of Myrtle Beach also made it mandatory to wear masks after the city council passed an order on Thursday that would remain in effect for 67 days. Violations of the order can lead to a penalty of $100.