Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration expanded Wednesday its indoor mask order to public places outdoors where social-distancing is impossible.
“With this order, signed under Dr. Levine’s authority under the Disease Prevention and Control Act, masks must be worn whenever anyone leaves home,” a news release said. “The order takes effect immediately.”
#COVID19 UPDATE: In Pennsylvania, masks must now be worn whenever anyone leaves home.
This is essential to stopping the recent increase in #COVID19 cases in Pennsylvania.
More about this requirement: https://t.co/86fURayk6c pic.twitter.com/XuK38ALi2V
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) July 1, 2020
Among other things, the order says masks are required if “outdoors and unable to consistently maintain a distance of six feet from individuals who are not members of their household.”
“This mask-wearing order is essential to stopping the recent increase in COVID-19 cases we have seen in Pennsylvania,” Gov. Wolf said. “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 new order outlines some exceptions
-Anyone who cannot wear a mask due to a medical condition
– Anyone in a job in which wearing mask would create unsafe conditions, including operating equipment or a task determined by workplace safety guidelines
– Anyone who cannot remove the mask on their own
– Children under the age of- Individuals who are communicating or trying to communicate with someone who is hearing impaired
You can read: Health officials recommend Philadelphians stay away from beaches over the 4th of July
“The sooner we can all get to the point where all 13 million Pennsylvanians recognize that when we say, ‘we wear masks,’ that’s one way we’re going to reduce the risk of infecting other people,” Wolf said at a news conference Wednesday just before his administration announced it was expanding the mask order.
According to the Governor, social distancing and wearing masks two practices “that must be adhered to if we want to maintain the freedoms we have in place under our reopening,” Wolf said.