Lake County, Indiana Issues Mask Order Amid Coronavirus Case Surge
CROWN POINT, Ind. (CBS) -- Lake County, Indiana on Monday issued an order requiring face masks under most circumstances.
The order requires a face covering that obscures the nose and mouth for any person in an enclosed place of business – with exceptions only for those who cannot medically tolerate them.
The masks must be worn at all times when six feet of social distancing cannot be maintained.
For outdoor exercise, masks are not required for groups of fewer than 25, but people who are not from the same household must maintain 6 feet of physical distance.
In schools, students from kindergarten through grade 12 must wear masks on school buses, at school before entering and in common areas including hallways, and in classrooms. But the state's health department said it understands kids do need mask-free time, and teachers will determine times when social distancing can be maintained and thus masks can come off.
Gary Mayor Jerome Prince also issued a mask mandate for that city on Monday, effective immediately.
This comes amid a surge in cases in Lake County, Indiana, where the COVID-19 positivity rate stood at 12 percent Monday.
Statewide in Indiana, the positivity rate is 9.1 percent.
