Maine and Massachusetts now have stricter mask restrictions in place as coronavirus cases spike throughout the United States, according to The Hill.
Each state has issued orders requiring residents to wear masks at all times in public, no matter how far apart. That means churches, grocery stores, parking lots and other indoor spaces “accessible to the public.”
Maine averages 99 new cases per day, which spiked by 227 percent from two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts is averaging close to 1,300 new cases per day, which has shot up 76 percent from two weeks ago.
Like most states, Maine and Massachusetts had previously issued executive orders that didn't require public mask-wearing if people could stay six feet apart.
“We have recorded yet another day of record-high case numbers. This deadly and dangerous virus is spreading all across our state,” Maine Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement.
Mills added, “Protect your family. Protect a health care worker. Protect the elderly. Wear your face covering. Save lives. It is that simple.”
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