WASHINGTON -- Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday issued an executive order that requires residents to wear masks outside their homes.

"Basically what it says is, if you leave home, you should wear a mask," Bowser told reporters during a press conference.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] Photo taken on June 24, 2020 shows a facemask vending machine in London, Britain. (Photo by Ray Tang/Xinhua)[/caption]

LONDON -- The British government has issued Thursday its full guidance on mandatory face covering in shops in England, one day before the rules are due to come into force.

According to the government guidance, face coverings would be mandatory since Friday for all customers in enclosed public spaces including supermarkets, indoor shopping centers, transport hubs, banks and post offices.

Face coverings must also be worn when buying takeaway food and drink, although can be removed by customers in seating areas.

People who fail to wear a face covering could be fined up to 100 pounds (127 U.S. dollars), apart from those with medical conditions and children under 11.

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[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] A staff member disinfects the seats in preparation for the reopening of cinemas in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 26, 2020. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)[/caption]

KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysians will have to use face masks in crowded public areas including on public transportation from August, Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Thursday amid the rising COVID-19 cases recently.

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[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] Visitors take photos of Hong Kong Island in south China's Hong Kong, July 14, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)[/caption]

HONG KONG -- China's Hong Kong will mandate face masks in all indoor public places and add two countries including the United States to the high-risk list, as its daily increase of COVID-19 cases hit a new high on Wednesday.

Starting Thursday, people will be required to wear face masks in all indoor public areas, including shopping malls, supermarkets, building lobbies and bus terminus, Sophia Chan, secretary for food and health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, told a press conference on Wednesday.

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[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] A man draws in the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, on June 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)[/caption]

SYDNEY -- Laws enforcing the mandatory wearing of face masks in the Australian city of Melbourne were set to come into effect as of midnight Wednesday, prompting concerns over the items' availability.

The new laws apply to central metropolitan Melbourne, the country's second largest city and state capital of Victoria, as well as to the suburban shire of Mitchell to the north -- where in the past month cases have skyrocketed to over 3,500 active infections, including a record-breaking 484 confirmed cases on Wednesday.■