Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) issued an executive order Wednesday that requires people to wear masks in public to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

The order includes fines of up to $1,000 for non-compliance.

"Basically what it says is, if you leave home, you should wear a mask," Bowser said at a press conference. “This means, if you’re waiting for a bus, you must have on a mask. If you are ordering food at a restaurant, you must have on a mask. If you’re sitting in a cubicle in an open office, you must have on a mask.”

There are a number of exceptions within the order, including those who are under the age of 3, if a person is in a swimming pool, and if a person is actively eating, drinking or smoking.

“Wear a mask. Save lives. Stop the spread,” Bowser tweeted after the press conference.

Bowser also said she’ll extend D.C.’s state of emergency.

As of Wednesday, D.C. reported 72 new coronavirus cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data - the highest number the District has seen since early June. These cases are accounted for in the total number of 11,529.

Bowser lifted D.C.’s stay-at-home order in late May and on June 22, she reopened more businesses. Retail stores, restaurants, personal beauty care salons, museums and parks remain open to the public. But, according to Johns Hopkins data, lifting the stay-at-home order and relaxing social distancing has caused the District to see an upward trend towards new reported cases each day.

Maryland also reported Wednesday one of the highest daily counts of new coronavirus cases since early June, with 737 confirmed cases, bringing its total to 80,172. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) issued an executive order in April for citizens to wear face masks under certain circumstances, including those taking public transit and employees and customers at essential business.

Johns Hopkins data also revealed that Maryland is experiencing an upward trend, which indicates the state has an increasing amount of new coronavirus cases each day.

Rachel Bucchino is a reporter at the National Interest. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report and The Hill.