Hawaii Gov. David Ige has issued a new emergency order mandating the wearing of masks in public across the state. He said the mandate was imposed to clear up the confusion caused by individual (and differing) mask rules based issued by individual counties across the state.

The new order states, “All persons in the state shall wear a face covering over their nose and mouth when in public.”

Individual violators could face misdemeanor charges with up to a year in jail and fines of up to $5,000. Businesses are subject to fines and ‘mandatory closure,’ if they don’t comply.

Health and tourism officials had said the previous rule was not clear and was creating confusion.

Regardless of earlier mixed messages, the state health department says Hawaii has a mask wearing rate of about 86%, which is one of the highest in the country.

Ige said new rules make each hotel responsible for how to deal with guests’ Covid-19 infections and initial contract tracing arrangements.

“Hotel operators are required to submit their plan to the Hawaii Tourism Authority and publish it on their website,” he said.

The Governor said Hawaii will join any nationwide efforts to combat Covid-19 if mandated under a new Biden Administration.

“We would participate in any kind of nationwide program. A consistent policy across the country is important to isolate the virus and stop it from spreading,” Ige said.