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 The mandate is one of the broadest of any U.S. state, requiring
Californians to wear masks any time they leave their homes, with
exceptions made for people eating and drinking in restaurants or
exercising outdoors, as long as they maintain 6 feet of physical
distance.
“Simply put, we are seeing too many people with faces uncovered,
putting at risk the real progress we have made in fighting the
disease," Governor Gavin Newsom said.
Newsom did not say how the state intended to enforce the order,
which recommends masks even for people driving alone in their cars.
A spokeswoman for the California Department of Public Health, Ali
Bay, said that authorities had the same legal authority to impose
the directive as was used for a stay-at-home edict in March, but
expected residents to comply.
State or local authorities have the power to charge Californians who
neglect to wear a mask with a misdemeanor, according to state health
officials. Agencies enforcing workplace and labor laws could also
take action.
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About a dozen other U.S. states and some major cities have face-covering rules,
although most apply where social distancing isn't possible or to shared indoor
spaces such as stores and public transportation.
Most states have more limited mask guidelines. Montana, South Dakota, Wisconsin
and South Carolina have none.
California, the most populous U.S. state with 40 million residents, was first to
impose sweeping clampdowns on residents and mandatory business closures, on
March 19.
Since then California, like most states, has slowly eased those rules to reopen
its damaged economy, although some restrictions remain in place.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Additional reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by
Chris Reese, Jonathan Oatis and Cynthia Osterman)
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