The takeaway from Mills’ new mask order? ‘If you’re not by yourself, wear a mask’
By Eesha Pendharkar, Bangor Daily News Staff
When in doubt, wear a mask.
That’s the takeaway from Gov. Janet Mills’ Thursday order requiring Mainers to wear masks in public regardless of whether they can keep a safe distance from others, according to one public health expert.
Mills issued the order this week as Maine has continued to see record numbers of new daily cases of the coronavirus, with another 163 cases reported Thursday in 15 of the state’s 16 counties.
The new order requires face coverings in all public settings regardless of whether people can maintain a safe distance from others in those places. Public settings include any indoor spaces that are publicly accessible, such as retail stores, gyms and pharmacies, as well as outdoor spaces such as sidewalks, playgrounds and parking lots where it’s often easier to stay 6 feet away from others.
The order doesn’t offer enough detail to clarify whether people should wear masks in specific situations, such as while hiking on lightly used public trails or participating in athletic activities, and Mills’ office didn’t reply to a list of questions about such specific scenarios. But, in essence, the new rule is simple, said Dr. Robert Horsburgh, a professor of epidemiology at Boston University.
“If you’re not by yourself, you wear a mask,” he said. “Now we don’t have to worry that somebody thinks you’re too close to them without a mask, because you shouldn’t be within sight of somebody without a mask.”
Mills’ most recent order replaced an earlier one that generally required face coverings where social distancing was impossible or difficult to maintain.
Horsburgh called it an important step, saying he expects it will lead to more people wearing masks because they will recognize it as a measure taken in response to the worsening virus conditions.
“Many people, I think, will take this measure that they wouldn’t have taken before because now it’s been legitimized,” Horsburgh said. “It’s saying to people that this is more serious. It’s time to worry about this more and be more careful.”
Maine’s order comes a week after Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced a similar tightening of masking requirements after the state saw a steep increase in daily COVID-19 cases in late October. The has seen an average of 1,297 new daily cases over the past week, up 76 percent from two weeks prior. Maine’s seven-day average, by comparison, was 118.7 as of Wednesday, up from 34.1 two weeks earlier.
While Massachusetts is bigger and more densely populated than Maine, the order is no less significant in Maine, Horsburgh said.
“It isn’t necessarily only a big city phenomenon. Anytime people get together, it can spread,” he said. “You’ve seen that at churches and weddings, and we’ve seen it, too.”
The use of masks or cloth face coverings has been shown to control the spread of the virus, and the U.S CDC has been advocating for widespread use of masks since July. A study published in June in the journal Health Affairs found that policies in 15 states and Washington, D.C., requiring the use of face masks in public likely had prevented 200,000 COVID-19 cases by late May. Yet wearing masks has become politicized, with President Donald Trump mocking Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the pair’s first debate this fall for his use of a face covering.
Horsburgh called the president’s refusal to wear a mask “stupid,” saying that it’s a respectful thing to do for other people.
“Even if you got tested yesterday, other people don’t know that,” he said, “so you should be a respectful fellow human being and wear a mask to tell them that you’re being careful on their behalf.”