(CNN) – While health officials agree that masks help prevent the spread of COVID-19, state and local governments differ widely in their implementation of mask rules. Now President Joe Biden wants to change that.
Biden’s office has published plans his government plans to implement at the start of his tenure, and one of them is a national mandate to wear masks to “ work with governors and mayors. ”
Most states already have some sort of mandate for wearing a mask, but some don’t have a state rule, leaving it as a recommendation or giving the authority to local officials.
These are the states that do not have territory-wide requirements for the use of masks.
Alaska
Alaska does not require the use of masks, does not restrict group sizes or business activities. All the state is doing is encouraging state residents to do their part to limit the spread of COVID-19, by recommending residents to socialize and wear a face mask, without any mandate.
However, the Mayor of Anchorage has signed an order requiring people to wear a face mask in public.
Arizona
Governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, allows individual counties to demand a mask, but has no state initiative.
Scottsdale was the first to make masks mandatory starting June 19. Other large congregations with requirements are Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff.
Florida
There is no requirement for a statewide mask, but some local councils have their own mandates.
Georgia
Statewide, masks are required for some essential employees, including restaurant and personal care workers.
Meanwhile, several provinces and cities have mask mandates.
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Idaho
The state does not have a statewide requirement, but several local councils, including Boise.
Iowa
The state enacted a mandate to wear a mask in November, but in February Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, dropped the requirement.
“We know what to do and it doesn’t require a government mandate,” Reynolds said at the time. “Before November, Iowans did not have a mask requirement, but most Iowans wore masks, and I am sure they will continue to do so.”
At the time, the governor said virus activity in Iowa was on the decline, noting that the average positivity rate in the state had dropped to single digits.
Mississippi
On September 4, Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, has demanded from the state to cover his face.
Just over a month later and amid a rise in the number of cases, Reeves signed a decree requiring faces in counties with the highest number of covid-19 cases to be covered.
The “Safe Recovery” decree is in effect through December 11 and covers 22 of the state’s 82 counties.
Missouri
The state does not have a statewide requirement, but several local municipalities do.
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Montana
Montana had a masked mandate, but newly elected Governor Greg Gianforte, Republican, let it expire in February, though he said local communities can continue to enforce their own terms.
“Since we’re not out of the woods yet, I will continue to wear a mask and encourage everyone in Montana to do the same,” he said at the time.
Nebraska
There is no state mandate, but customers and staff in hair salons, beauty salons, tattoos and massage salons must wear masks as part of the current requirements for targeted health measures.
North Dakota
North Dakota only had a mandate to wear a mask in November 2020 and let it expire in January.
“We established the mandate for the use of masks when the hospital’s capacity was nearing its peak and then we applied it because we needed it then. Again, as we are now going to patients with less than 2% of our total hospital capacity, ”said Republican Governor Doug Burgum in February during a CNN Newsroom performance with Brianna Keilar.
“We have always encouraged masks from the beginning … In our state, it’s not about what the government says, it’s about what people do and whether people can distance themselves socially, whether people are in places where they need to wear a mask. We’ve seen people step forward and do what they have to do and it shows in the numbers.
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma City Council voted in a special meeting in July to pass an emergency public safety ordinance requiring face coverings on indoor public areas in Oklahoma City.
south carolina
Several counties and cities, including Charleston and Columbia, have mandates for wearing masks.
Dakota del sur
Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, has taken a hands-off approach to COVID-19. In October, he wrote in an opinion piece that the government should not impose a mask requirement.
“As I said before, if people want to wear a mask, they should be able to do it,” he wrote. “Likewise, those who don’t want to wear a mask shouldn’t be ashamed to wear one.”
South Dakota ranks second to North Dakota in the number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people.
Tennessee
While there is no state mandate, Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, signed an executive order that empowers the mayors of 89 counties to issue mask-wearing requirements.
Texas
Texas had a statewide mandate to wear a mask, but Governor Greg Abbott, Republican, overturned most previous COVID-19-related decrees on March 2, including the mandate to wear a mask, confirmed at a press conference .
“It is clear with the recoveries, vaccinations, reduced hospitalizations and safe practices that Texans use, that state mandates are no longer necessary,” Abbott said.
In addition, starting March 10, all businesses of any type could be 100% open, the governor said.
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While it’s true that the number of covid-19 has declined, experts warned Americans shouldn’t be on the lookout.
“ I think it’s very important for us to scale up vaccinations as much as possible while doing everything we can to reduce the use of masks, the physical distance, these other measures that we know are very important to prevent the spread of the sickness. infection, “CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen said in February.
CNN’s Chris Boyette, Carma Hassan, Jamiel Lynch, Haley Brink and Sarah Mucha contributed to this report.