PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — The city of Portsmouth is the latest New Hampshire community to approve a face mask ordinance.
The City Council voted 7-2 Monday night to approve the measure, which went into effect immediately and lasts until Jan. 4, 2021, Seacoastonline.com reported.
The masks are required inside public places and outdoors when social distancing of 6 feet (2 meters) between people who aren’t in the same household can’t be maintained.
The penalty for not wearing a mask won’t exceed $25.
Those exempt from the ordinance are people with medical and health-risk conditions; children age 6 and younger; and people eating or drinking at a business licensed in the city for that purpose.
Some of the other communities that have passed a face mask ordinance include Exeter, Newmarket, Durham, Concord, Nashua, Keene, Lebanon, and Plymouth.
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THE NUMBERS
As of Monday, 7,714 people had tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, an increase of 18 from the previous day. The number of deaths remained at 436. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire increased over the past two weeks, going from 21 new cases per day on Aug. 30 to 36 new cases per day on Sept. 13.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia or death.
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