Kentuckians will be required to wear face masks or coverings in public places beginning Friday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday.

The mandate comes after two of the highest days of daily COVID-19 cases the state has recorded since March. Kentucky announced 333 newly reported cases and four deaths on Thursday.

Beshear said the increased case counts from the last few days along with an “explosion” in other states prompted him to issue the executive order. About two dozen other states have issued mask mandates in public places.

“Putting in a mandatory mask rule, if we were still plateaued, that was going to be something that was going to be harder for people to accept.” he said. “We know we have got to do it with the way things are going.”