No, these 5 states aren’t ‘mask free.’ There are local mask requirements

As Americans continue to argue over wearing face masks as an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, popular posts on Facebook are inaccurately claiming that Florida, Georgia, Idaho, South Dakota and Tennessee are now all "mask free." 

None of those states has a statewide mask mandate, but municipalities in each do have mask requirements.

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wash their hands frequently and practice social distancing when possible to mitigate the spread of the virus. The health agency also says most children and adults should "wear a mask in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain."

As of Oct. 1, 33 states and the District of Columbia require people to wear face coverings in public. One state, Mississippi, has lifted its mandate.

Florida doesn’t have a statewide mask order, but several cities and large counties, including Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Hillsborough, have mask requirements.

Featured Fact-check

Threads posts

stated on October 26, 2024 in a Threads post

Four Florida counties had “zero results” Oct. 26, and “something underhanded might be happening.”

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp revised his coronavirus health order on Aug. 15 to allow local governments to impose local mask requirements, as Atlanta and others have done, reversing a month-old ban. Cities and counties that have 100 or more confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the state can enforce mask requirements on public property.

Idaho's capital and largest city, Boise, requires masks in public, as do several other cities in the state. 

South Dakota’s fourth-largest city, Brookings City, approved an indoor public face covering ordinance and businesses in tourist areas, like Rapid City, are enforcing mask policies.

In Tennessee, an executive order from Gov. Bill Lee urges residents to "wear face coverings in public places." Knox County, Shelby County, Memphis and Nashville, which make up a large chunk of the state’s population, have all enacted mask mandates.

None of the states in the post has a statewide order requiring people to wear masks, but local governments in all have enacted some sort of face covering policy, and businesses have the right to enforce mask-wearing.

We rate this Mostly False.