The Board of County Commissioners has approved a new county-wide mask mandate. This mandate replaces the statewide mandate that Washington County has been under since late November. The new, local mandate is less stringent than the state-wide mandate and requires people to wear masks both indoors and outdoors in public spaces when unable to maintain 6 feet of distancing. The provisions do not apply to people who live together, and residential property and private offices or workspaces that are not open to customers or public visitors are exempt. County attorney Elizabeth Baskerville Hiltgen told the commissioners this week that the authority for local governments to opt out of the state-wide mandate was scheduled to end on Jan. 26. If Washington County did not opt out of the state mandate and create their own prior to Jan. 26, they could have potentially lost the ability to implement less stringent provisions or opt out in the event the statutory authority allowing counties to do so was not extended.
Source: www.backroadsnews.com/