Tampa to require face coverings for outdoor Super Bowl-related activities
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor signed an executive order Thursday requiring the use of face coverings at outdoor Super Bowl-related activities to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the Florida city.
The order targets sites where large crowds of people are likely to congregate around the Super Bowl this weekend, with limited ability to remain socially distant from each other. They include "Event Zones" in areas of downtown Tampa and surrounding Raymond James Stadium, as well as "Entertainment Districts," including Ybor City Historic District, the South Howard Commercial Overlay District, the Central Business District and the Channel District.
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Those exempt from the order include children under the age of 5, someone communicating with a hearing-impaired individual and people with existing health conditions who would be impaired by a mask.
The Super Bowl will be held on Feb. 7 between the Kansas City Chiefs and hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The mask mandate is in effect now through Feb. 13. Those who violate it could be subject to a $500 fine.
The NFL had previously announced that masks will be required in the stadium unless eating or drinking.
Under a previous order still in effect, masks are required in Tampa at indoor locations outside the home when social distancing cannot be maintained.
ABC News' Will McDuffie contributed to this report