DC mayor to order mandatory masks as infections rise again

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser says she’ll issue an executive order making face masks mandatory outside the home. It’s an unprecedented step in the nation’s capital as cases are rising. Bowser says the order, to be issued late Wednesday, will include “enforcement language” detailing possible fines for violations. After saying they had successfully blunted the infection curve earlier this summer, health officials say the infection numbers have slowly crept upward, reaching triple digits on Wednesday for the first time in weeks. Health Department Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt says her office is particularly concerned with data that indicate a high level of wild community spread.