Though many states in the United States like New York have a law preventing people from wearing a mask or facial alteration in public places, increasing wearing a face covering or mask has become widespread during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended that people keep their face covered or wear masks when in public places. In some states and cities in the US the government has passed a law making it compulsory for people to cover their face in public. Those who violate the law may have to pay fines or spend time in jail in some cases.
Though there is no law yet in Las Vegas, the number of people wearing a face covering or mask when in public places is increasing. In addition to the state, many cities and counties are also imposing fines on those who are not covering their face in public. For example Willacy county in Texas announced that a $1000 fine will be imposed on those who do wear a face mask during the Covid-19 pandemic. Laredo, San Antonio and Dallas in Texas are some of the cities which announced a fine of $1000 and in some cases jail time for those who do not wear a face covering when outdoors during the pandemic in April 2020.
While New Jersey was the first state in the country to make wearing a face covering compulsory during the lockdown from April 8, other states like Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Hawaii, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island have also pass laws. In some states, persons not wearing a face covering will be denied entry, while in other cases they could face fines and other penalties. Hawaii has the most stringent penalty of up to $5000 or up to a year in jail for people who are not covering their face or following the norms for social distancing.
In many states, the government has recommended that due to limited stocks available, only frontline medical staff should wear a surgical face mask, other people can wear a face covering or home made mask when in a public space. However, some exceptions to the rule for face covering are allowed, with children below the age of two and those who cannot wear the mask due to medical reasons exempted. In some places, the age of the children exempted has been increased to ten. Also when any person goes to a store they should conform to social distance norms, and keep a distance of at least one meter from others.
Following the CDC guidelines for social distancing and face covering can slow down the spread of Covid-19 virus to a great extent.
