These Nine States Have No Mask Requirements at All

As businesses across the country have begun to reopen, most states have implemented face mask orders for those resuming operations. However, nine states still have no requirements at all: Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee.

While most of these states still recommend the wearing of face masks and some cities and counties have issued mandates, the use of face coverings in these places have been left up to the employer's discretion.

In Alaska, Missouri, South Dakota and Tennessee, employees are encouraged to wear face masks but are not required to. In Idaho and South Carolina, face coverings are enforced only for close-contact employees who come into direct contact with the public.

Iowa, Montana and Oklahoma have not issued any recommendations for face masks. Both Montana and Oklahoma reported record-high figures on Tuesday, July 7. Montana saw 80 new daily cases, surpassing the previous high of 67 cases, while Oklahoma topped the state's previous high of 585 new daily cases by nearly 300.

Newsweek reached out to Montana Governor Steve Bullock and Oklahoma's Department of Health for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.

Many of the governors in these nine states have emphasized that executive orders mandating mask use should be left up to local governments. However, other states have taken more aggressive measures to ensure residents are curbing the virus's spread after a major surge in cases began last month in the U.S., especially in states like California and Texas.

On Monday, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice issued a statewide face mask order, making the state the latest to join the growing list of those that have mandated face coverings in public. The other 22 states are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Washington. The District of Columbia also requires the use of masks.

While there is currently no federal requirement in place, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended in April that everyone wear a face covering in public settings where social distancing is not possible.

"The big mistake in the U.S. and Europe, in my opinion, is that people aren't wearing masks," George Gao, director-general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told Science.

While face masks have been widely embraced by the public in other countries, they have become a point of contention in the U.S. throughout the pandemic. President Donald Trump has refused to wear one in public, and health officials in states such as California have received threats for mandating masks and been forced to resign.