Pennsylvania makes masks mandatory — even outdoors

Face masks are now mandatory in Pennsylvania in public places and outside when social distancing is not possible, according to an order intended to slow the spread of covid-19.

Gov. Tom Wolf said the mandate expands an order signed in April that requires the wearing of masks in businesses. The new order is effective immediately, Wolf said.

Masks must be worn whenever anyone leaves home, according to the order, signed by Health Secretary Rachel Levine.

“This mask-wearing order is essential to stopping the recent increase in covid-19 cases we have seen in Pennsylvania,” 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,” he said.

The order outlines the situations when a mask must be worn and includes limited exceptions to the face-covering requirement.

Face coverings are required for individuals during the following situations:

• If people are “outdoors and unable to consistently maintain a distance of 6 feet from individuals who are not members of their households.”
• Indoors in public locations where other people are present.
• Waiting for, riding on, driving or operating public transportation such as taxis or ride sharing vehicles.
• Obtaining health care services from a hospital, pharmacy, medical clinic, laboratory, physician or dental office, veterinary clinic or blood bank.
• Working, either at a workplace or off-site, and interacting in-person with the public.

People exempted from the requirement include those with respiratory issues that impede breathing, mental health conditions or disabilities. Children younger than 2 also are exempted.

“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,” she said.

On Wednesday, Allegheny County health officials reported 110 new cases of covid-19, a new single-day high, along with four hospitalizations and one death. The county had 109 cases Tuesday. Westmoreland County reported 29 new cases Wednesday, the third day this week the county hit double digits for new cases.

Statewide there were 38 new covid-19 deaths and 636 additional cases reported Wednesday, according to the state Department of Health.

The state total is now 87,242 cases with 6,687 deaths; about 633 patients are considered probable cases.

More and more health experts have called for mask wearing, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who said Tuesday during a U.S. Senate hearing on covid-19, “Americans who don’t wear masks may propagate the further spread of infection.”

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.