‘Complacency cannot be the norm.’ Pa. leaders expand mandatory masking in new order
Effective immediately, masks are now mandatory when leaving home, following an expansion of Pennsylvania’s business safety order.
Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine and Gov. Tom Wolf announced a new order Wednesday that takes mandatory masking at businesses and work sites one step further. The new order, which aims to further mitigate the spread of COVID-19, requires mandatory masking outside when unable to social distance, in public buildings and on public transportation.
“This mask-wearing order is essential to stopping the recent increase in COVID-19 cases we have seen in Pennsylvania,” Wolf said in a statement. “Those hot spots can be traced to situations where Pennsylvanians were not wearing masks or practicing social distancing — two practices that must be adhered to if we want to maintain the freedoms we have in place under our reopening.”
The statewide shutdown and strict mitigation efforts have helped slow the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, but state officials and health experts say “complacency cannot be the norm” as nearly every Pennsylvania county has entered into the “green” and least restrictive reopening phase.
“It is essential that Pennsylvanians wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Levine said. “While cases increase in some areas, we cannot become complacent. My mask protects you, and your mask protects me. Wearing a mask shows that you care about others, and that you are committed to protecting the lives of those around you.”
The announcement comes a day after the Centre County Board of Commissioners moved a resolution forward that encourages the continued wearing of cloth face masks.
This week, more and more health experts have called for masking — including Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“Americans who don’t wear masks may propagate the further spread of infection,” Fauci told the United States Senate Tuesday.
Individuals with a medical condition, those who are in a situation where wearing a mask poses a threat, people who cannot remove a mask without assistance and children younger than 2 are not required to wear a mask.
People are not required to show official documentation that excludes them from the order.
The mask-wearing order will be sent to state and local officials, law enforcement and others tasked with education about the order for those not in compliance.
This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 3:52 PM.
