New York residents ordered to wear masks or cover face in public amid coronavirus outbreak

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New York Andrew Cuomo said he will require New Yorkers to wear face coverings in public
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Emily Lawford16 April 2020

New Yorkers will be ordered to wear masks or cover their face in public when they are not social distancing, New York governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday.

Mr Cuomo said he will sign an executive order which goes into effect on Friday, to help stop the spread of coronavirus. The order will require New Yorkers to wear face coverings in situations where it is not possible to social distance – such as on public transport, shopping, or walking in busy neighbourhoods.

If New Yorkers are in public but not near anyone else, they will not have to use facial coverings.

The order will not initially be enforced with a civil penalty – but may be in future.

"If you are going to be in a situation in public where you may come into contact with other people, in a situation that is not socially distanced, you must have a mask or a cloth covering nose and mouth," Mr Cuomo said in his daily coronavirus briefing.

The governor added: "[If] you're not going to be able to maintain social distancing, you must wear a mask or cloth or an attractive bandana or a colour-coordinated bandana, but you have to wear it in those situations.”

Mr Cuomo said the order was necessary to fight the spread of Covid-19 in New York – the US epicentre of the outbreak. He encouraged local governments to begin enforcing the new rule.

The governor’s announcement comes hours after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city’s supermarkets and grocery stores should require all shoppers to cover their faces. He said stores would be permitted to refuse entry to anyone not wearing a mask.

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Mr Cuomo said on Wednesday that "the terrible news has basically been flat over the past several days" in New York, as the state's increase in coronavirus hospitalisations, intubations, and deaths has begun to slow.

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