Mandatory Face Covering Order Takes Effect In Marin County

MARIN COUNTY, CA — A public health order requiring Marin County residents to wear face coverings went into effect Wednesday.

The order, which was issued last Friday, makes face coverings mandatory in public settings as officials explore ways to ease restrictions while still working to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The order went into effect at noon.

"Covering our face is something we do to protect all of us," said Dr. Matt Willis, the county's public health officer.

"Part of the new normal will be seeing your face covering as part of your regular clothing — something you always have with you when you walk out the door and that you wear when you're with other people, especially indoors."

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According to the order, people in Marin must wear face coverings when:

• Inside public spaces or waiting in line to enter public spaces
• Seeking health care
• Waiting for or riding on mass transit or other shared transportation
• In common areas of buildings, such as hallways, stairways, elevators and parking facilities
• Workers at businesses physically open and in areas where the public is present, likely to be present, or at any time when others are nearby
• Workers in any space where food is being prepared and/or packaged for sale
• Drivers and operators of public transit

Children 12 or younger are not required to wear a face covering, according to the order. In addition, people engaged in outdoor exercise such as walking, hiking, running or bicycling are not required to wear a face covering but should carry one with them and must continue to practice physical distancing.

"Doing this well, together, will help eventually give us more freedom to travel and interact more," Willis said. "Your continued work as a community, sheltering in place, has flattened the curve over the past month and shows how powerful we can be when we act together."

As of Tuesday, there have been 200 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the county. Ten residents have died since the pandemic first started.

Of the confirmed cases, 50 remain active. There have been 140 documented COVID-19 recoveries, according to county data.

Also see:

• California Coronavirus: Latest Updates On Cases, Orders, Closures
• Coronavirus In Marin County: Latest News
• Marin County Makes Face Coverings Mandatory: Coronavirus
• Coronavirus: Marin County Sees Signs Of Flattening The Curve
• Marin County Prepares For Surge In Coronavirus Patients
• Marin County Public Health Officer Recovers From Coronavirus
• 10th Coronavirus Death Reported In Marin County
• Marin County Cancels Classes For Rest Of School Year
• Coronavirus Stay-At-Home Order Extended In Bay Area: What To Know