New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday ordered all New Yorkers to cover their faces in public when they can’t maintain a proper social distance.
“You’re walking down the street alone? Great!You’re now at an intersection and there are people at the intersection, and you’re going to be in proximity to other people? Put the mask on.” He said this at his daily news briefing that the order would be effective from Saturday.
It would cover situations where social distancing of around 2 metres were impossible.
The announcement came as the COVID-19 death toll in the United States exceeded 30,000 on Wednesday after doubling in a week.
More than one-third of the U.S. confirmed fatalities were in New York City, and they rose by 752 over the past 24 hours.
That figure does not include at least 3,778 people who died in New York City and were not tested for coronavirus, but whose death certificates suggested they likely died from an illness related to COVID-19, health authorities in the state said.
“If you are going to be in public and you cannot maintain social distancing then have a mask, and put that mask on,” Cuomo said.
