New Yorkers Should Wears Masks if Not Home, NYC Mayor Says

New York City's mayor says all New Yorkers need to wear masks when not at home regardless if social distancing can be met.

On Monday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told New Yorkers if your indoors and there’s anyone around you, you should keep your face covered.

"So, the guidance we're now going to give formally to all New Yorkers is, when you're indoors, not in your place, where you live with your family or the other people you live under the same roof with, but if you're at work, if you're at a store, even if there seems to be a lot of space, just keep that face-covering on all the time. It's a good precaution. Anytime there are people around, keep it on," de Blasio said during a COVID-19 briefing.

New York City's mayor believes most people start out more than six feet apart but end up closer over a period of time.

"What we're finding is, you know, you start out more than six feet away from people, but you end up coming in contact with them or getting closer to them in the course of the day," he said. "More and more people are now gathering in indoor locations. A lot more work sites coming back. So, it's not just, you know, a supermarket or a pharmacy like it used to be. It's more and more people going to work. It's more and more people in retail settings around other people. It makes sense that even if you're trying to keep some distance, it's hard to do. Even if you're trying to keep that six feet, it's never easy in a lot of places."

The mayor believes face coverings have been "one of the biggest game-changers" when it comes to slowing the spread of COVID-19.

"The face coverings have made a world of difference in fighting this disease," de Blasio added. "So, here's the new guidance. If you're indoors and there's people around anywhere, even if you're in a big space indoors, and there's people in some part of that space, keep that face-covering on."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has yet to comment on de Blasio's new guidance.