San Francisco Mayor London Breed has announced new guidelines requiring residents to wear face coverings when in public, visiting essential businesses, conducting essential work, riding transit, waiting in line for or in grocery stores and participating in any other activity that requires residents to come into contact with others.
Anyone going for a walk, jog, hike or bike ride is not required to wear a mask. However, people are encouraged to have a mask with them and readily available even when exercising.
The order is part of the city’s strategy to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Anyone younger than 12 is excluded from the order and children ages 2 and younger must not wear one "due to the risk of suffocation." While while kids ages 3-12 are not required to wear a face covering, the order stipulates they should be supervised by an adult if they do.
"Pretty much everyone should be wearing a mask, except children under the age of 12," Breed said. "When you are at a grocery store or standing in line at a grocery store, when you are at a pharmacy or standing in line at a pharmacy, when you’re on Muni, any service when you’re in contact with other people even while you’re social distancing yourself, it’s important."
The order requires both the nose and mouth be covered securely.
Face coverings can be "a manufactured or homemade mask, a bandanna, scarf, towel, neck gaiter or similar item," and should be cleaned often with soap and water.
The order takes effect late Friday. It will not be enforced until next Wednesday.
Breed told KCBS Radio the goal of enforcement is not to make arrests.
"If you’re not a police officer, then don’t act like one," Breed said. "We don’t want people who are not police officers to try and police other people because that creates more confrontation and other issues that we’re not prepared to do."
Breed said there is an effort underway to make it easier for people who don’t have easy access to a face covering to get one, and the city is soliciting donations for masks and scarves to give them to those in need.
San Francisco joins Sonoma County, Contra Costa County and Alameda County in issuing orders requiring face coverings.
Other Bay Area counties are expected to follow suit.