Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio are the last states to impose mask rules statewide on Wednesday, following an increase in coronavirus cases across the country.
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb announced that starting Monday, anyone over the age of eight must wear a mask inside any public or commercial building. Masks are also required in public outdoor spaces when social distancing measures cannot be practiced safely.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed an executive order requiring all Minnesotans to wear masks when in public and commercial buildings starting Saturday.
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said the mask rules will extend to the entire state for anyone over the age of 10 starting Thursday. The Republican had originally resisted expanding the mask’s mandate to encompass the entire state, but noted a recent increase in coronavirus cases in counties across the state.
According to John Hopkins data, the United States has reported the highest COVID-19 rate in the world with more than 3.9 million cases and nearly 143,000 deaths.
President Trump held a second briefing on coronavirus on Wednesday, just a day after his first briefing in several months, where he encouraged Americans to wear a mask. Trump had previously refused to wear a mask in public until recently.
During Wednesday’s briefing, the president explained why coronavirus cases have skyrocketed across the country. He said cases began to increase among young Americans “shortly after the protests,” referring to the nationwide protests that erupted after George Floyd’s death in police custody.
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Adding that the protests “presumably triggered a broader relaxation of mitigation efforts across the country.”
Trump also said that the increase in travel around Memorial Day and the start of the summer holidays probably added to the increase in coronavirus cases.
“Young people congregate closely in bars and probably elsewhere, perhaps on beaches,” also attributed to recent spikes in coronavirus cases, he said.
Health experts have pointed to the lack of social distancing in bars and social gatherings in Florida and Texas, where there are large increases in the younger demographics who contract the disease, as a possible indicator of why younger age groups are getting getting sick.
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The World Health Organization warned that infection rates are not only increasing due to increased testing capabilities, rejecting Trump’s previous claims, but because the virus is accelerating.
Health experts have warned that there will likely be large spikes in coronavirus-related deaths.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
