New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is issuing an executive order to require all people in public to have their nose and mouth covered in public.
"If you are going to be in a situation, in public, where you 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," Cuomo said during his daily press briefing Wednesday.
"They must wear it in a situation where you are not able to maintain social distancing," he added, like riding the subway or walking in proximity of others.
The order will go into effect in three days, to give New Yorkers time to become compliant, and it will be enforced by New York's local governments. There is no set fine yet.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) upgraded recommendations on wearing a face covering two weeks ago, and other states and cities have issued similar orders for grocery stories and other essential businesses.
Cuomo has also reported New York has "stabilized our healthcare situation" and will be giving 100 ventilators to Michigan and another 50 to Maryland.
"There are other places in the country seeing increases in the death rate," Cuomo said. "I will never forget the generosity people across this country showed to our state."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.