CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas says the city will start requiring residents to wear a face covering when they are in public for essential tasks.

Salas officially made the announcement in a joint news conference with two other South Bay mayors Thursday.

“Wearing a mask is an act of love,” Salas said, “not just for yourself,” but also for your family and your community.

Residents won’t be expected to wear a mask to simply walk to the end of the driveway and get the newspaper, she offered as an example, but if you are headed to a grocery store or other essential business, you need to have your face covered.

“We are going to enforce this,” the mayor said, adding that citations for non-compliance could be up to $1,000. But Salas and the city’s police chief emphasized that it was unlikely it would come to that, because people would be given ample opportunity to learn the rules and adjust.

“We’re going to give warnings, we’re not going to be draconian,” she told reporters. “There has to be an education phase.”

Salas was joined by National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis, Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina and San Diego Councilmember Vivian Moreno for the announcement Thursday. You can watch the full news conference here.

Chula Vista joins National City, which started requiring residents to wear a face-covering in public after a city council vote on Tuesday.