Two northeastern states are adopting strict mask mandates to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
State officials in Maine and Massachusetts will require the wearing of face masks or coverings while in public as each state grapples with a surge in cases of COVID-19.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced all residents will be required to wear masks in all public spaces, regardless of the distance between people.
“We have recorded yet another day of record-high case numbers,” Mills wrote Thursday in the statement. “This deadly and dangerous virus is spreading all across our state. Protect your family. Protect a health care worker. Protect the elderly. Wear your face covering. Save lives. It is that simple.”
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 183 new cases of the coronavirus, marking the third straight day with record-high numbers of infected residents.
In Massachusetts, where healthcare officials recorded more than 1,300 cases of the virus on Wednesday, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker announced a similar mandate this week requiring residents to “wear face coverings in all public places, even where they are able to maintain 6 feet of distance from others.”
More than 230,000 people have died and nearly 10 million people have caught the disease in the United States since the outbreak began in March, according to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker.
