Anyone who shops at a grocery store, goes to a pharmacy or rides the bus in Charles County, Maryland, will be required to wear a mask or face covering starting Wednesday.
The county health department and board of commissioners announced a number of measures Tuesday to try to slow the spread of coronavirus.
“The order is aimed at protecting shoppers, employees, drivers, and passengers from the spread of COVID-19,” a statement from the county said. “A face covering can be a homemade cloth mask, scarf, bandana, or other means of snugly covering the mouth and nose.”
The county had 292 known cases of the virus as of Tuesday afternoon. Twelve people had died.
County businesses will be required to “establish and enforce capacity limits by allowing a smaller number of customers in a store at any given time,” the statement said. Also, businesses have the right to turn away customers.
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The county said customers should stand in line no closer than six feet from each other, all businesses should give face coverings to employees and all employees should be allowed to wash their hands every 30 minutes at a minimum.
A requirement to wear masks at grocery stores, at pharmacies and on buses also goes into effect Wednesday in Prince George’s County, as the county previously announced. Masks already are required at grocery stores in D.C. and grocery stores and pharmacies in Montgomery County.
