NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles' executive order requiring face coverings to be worn inside public businesses and in county government facilities came after the county saw a 350 percent increase in new COVID-19 cases in one week.

"We needed to do something," said Biles. "We were kind of at this place where we weren't requiring anything other than what was recommended by the Department of Health, CDC, and no one wants to go to what we were doing six weeks ago where everything shut down."

The order went into effect on Tuesday, but enforcement begins on Thursday at 5:00 p.m.

"Code enforcement...will be the team to kind of go out there and do the visits and the enforcement piece of this, and 90-plus percent of their enforcement actions result in voluntary compliance. So, that's where we want to be," said Biles.

Biles said the plan isn't for them to patrol businesses, but rather to respond to reports of violations. They'll focus on educating owners about the requirement, but violators could face up to a $250 fine.

It will be up to owners to determine how best to make sure their business is in compliance.

"They know their business best, they know how their operation works, and they actually know if they can adjust...the way they operate to actually avoid the conflicts, if you will."

Masks will be required inside businesses where social distancing isn't possible.

"I think it's a very good thing, and I think it's long overdue. We've been encouraging people to wear masks for a long time," said Douglas Aldrich, a dealer at Antique Center on Main St., Inc. 

Dealers keep a box of disposable masks on hand for customers in need.

"The very fact that you're taking the time to be considerate of somebody else whose health could be in jeopardy, that's what I feel is important," Aldrich said. 

The executive order states that 40 percent of the total number in cases in Pasco County have been reported in the last week. Biles said that's a change from what the county has seen during much of the pandemic. 

"We went from, on the 13th of June, we were still single digits on the seven-day rolling average, to yesterday it was 56, and today, it's 72," said Biles. "So, we're still going the wrong way. Drastically going the wrong way."

The average age of positive COVID-19 cases in Pasco is now 37, down from 53 several weeks ago. While the number of daily lab results reported is down by 100 since last week, the percentage of those that are positive climbed to nearly ten percent.

Not everyone's in favor of the plan. Kelly Kilgore of Land O' Lakes protested the mask requirement outside the West Pasco Government Center Wednesday. 

"I'm out here because I'm trying to stand up for our rights and freedom. I feel like they're being slowly, and this is the first step in the process, of our rights and freedoms being taken away," said Kilgore.

Kilgore said she questions how effective the masks actually are at protecting against the virus. Several passersby expressed their support, while others disagreed.

One woman wearing a mask who approached Kilgore told her she was 63 years old and had medical conditions that could put her at higher risk for the virus.

"Why not be on the more cautious side?" the woman asked.

"And I feel anybody who chooses to go ahead and wear the mask because you feel it's making you safer, you should go ahead and do that," Kilgore responded.

There are several exemptions to the order. They include: people who are able to social distance according to CDC guidelines, people who work at a business where they don't interact with others, and those who wouldn't be able to perform the duties of their job while wearing a face covering.

Anyone who feels compelled to report a violation can do so by calling Pasco County Customer Service at (727) 847-2411.