Residents who gather in groups in the state of New Jersey will be required to wear masks even when they are outside, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday.
The Democratic governor said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe that social distancing does not go far enough and argued face coverings have been proven as an effective way to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
“There’s no question that face coverings are game changers. I think we were the first state in America to require them indoors. They’ve been strongly recommended out of doors. We’re going to turn that up a notch today and say we’re going to ask you if you can’t socially distance then it’s going to be required,” Murphy said.
New Jersey was one of the hardest-hit states when the virus moved East. State officials made wearing a mask indoors a requirement in April and have seen a steady decline in cases ever since.
Murphy acknowledged it will be difficult to patrol the wearing of face masks in public. He said the mandate would not apply to people by themselves or solely out with family members, but it would be for people “congregating with a lot of other folks.”
Although Murphy did not say what the punishment will be for groups who fail to wear face coverings, he did promise people will “at least get a warning, if not something stronger.”
