MOSES LAKE — As closures and social distancing measures carry on into another week, face masks are being seen on more people in grocery stores and other places that are still open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

New York, New Jersey and Maryland all have issued mandates requiring face masks, or other face coverings such as a bandanna or scarf, in most public areas. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said there wouldn’t be criminal penalties for not wearing a mask in public, but civil penalties were under consideration.

Washington State Department of Health echoed the sentiment of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recommending all Washington state residents wear cloth face masks any time they’re in public. Gov. Jay Inslee has not mandated facial protection for public areas.

In the Columbia Basin, local folks got busy early in the pandemic and started making cloth masks to be donated where they were needed most.

On Thursday, for the third day in a row, Jim and his son Carson had a table set up in Penn Plaza, in Moses Lake, selling masks. Jim, a Moses Lake resident, said his wife, Mary Ann, has been sewing masks for weeks and has made more than 200 masks. Having already donated masks for various family members and workplaces asking for them, they decided they might as well begin selling them. Joe said they have sold about 60 masks each day.

Brad, a 32-year-old in Moses Lake, while shopping at a hardware store Thursday afternoon, said he hasn’t been wearing a mask in public. The Moses Lake dentist said he understands the concerns but personally isn’t too worried.

A 66-year-old retiree was shopping for figs on Thursday, wearing a face mask she had sewn for herself. The Moses Lake resident said she has worn a mask everywhere she has gone for the last few weeks. Like many other sewers in the Basin area, she has been busy — she has made about 300 masks.

Another Moses Lake retiree said she also has been wearing a face mask in public the last couple of weeks, but she tries not to go out much, other than for groceries. The 63-year-old said she typically wears gloves as well when she’s out but didn’t have them on at the moment.

Another 63-year-old shopping for groceries was not wearing a mask. The Moses Lake School District employee said she typically has one on everywhere she goes. But she had only one mask at the time, given to her by her sister, and hadn’t had a chance to wash it that day. Without the mask, she added, she was just doing her best to be cautious.

A 21-year-old grocery store employee said he has seen more people wearing masks and gloves each week since closures began. Protective shields had been added for the cashiers. The Moses Lake resident, while not wearing a mask himself, said employees had the option to wear one. Extra precautions with cleaning measures were being taken in the store, with hand sanitizer being made available for customers and employees.