Gov. Larry Hogan on Wednesday announced an executive order requiring the wearing of face coverings when inside any retail establishments or when riding any form of public transportation in Maryland.

The order also requires all retail locations to require staff to wear face coverings and requires those businesses to put appropriate social distancing measures in place. To give retailers time to make these adjustments, the order will go into effect at 7 a.m. Saturday, April 18.

The CDC has issued detailed guidance and instructions regarding homemade cloth face coverings which may be found online. Dr. Jerome Adams, the U.S. Surgeon General, also offered this video:

https://youtu.be/tPx1yqvJgf4

Studies show that some people with COVID-19 will never have symptoms, but they can still spread the virus. Those who ultimately develop symptoms can also transmit the virus before they actually get sick. This means that someone who coughs, sneezes, and even speaks in close proximity to another person can spread the virus without even knowing it.

Social distancing remains the most important means of slowing the spread of the disease, but the CDC also recommends wearing cloth face coverings where social distancing measures may be difficult to maintain.