After a bustling Fourth of July, the Edgartown board of health cracked down on mask use on Thursday, issuing an order requiring all people over the age of two to wear face coverings in most of the tight-packed downtown business district, regardless of whether they can socially distance.

While other towns have mulled more stringent mask rules (Nantucket adopted a mandatory mask rule last week), Edgartown became the first Vineyard town to officially do so Thursday evening.

“This makes it pretty black and white,” town administrator James Hagerty said in a phone call after the meeting.

Map delineates downtown area where masks are required for everyone over the age of two.

The order goes into effect at 8 a.m. on Friday, and is active from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. The vote by the board of health was unanimous.

In May, Gov. Charlie Baker issued a statewide order requiring people to wear masks in public if they could not socially distance. But with the Island heating up and summer entering full swing, compliance has become an issue in many of the Vineyard’s more crowded areas, including the Oak Bluffs harbor, Menemsha and downtown Edgartown.

A petition circulated recently in Edgartown, garnering more than 300 signatures from residents who requested the town issue a tougher mask order.

The board of health decided to act on the petition Thursday, going beyond the governor’s order and requiring face coverings for all people in the downtown area regardless of whether they are six feet apart from others.

“The petition wasn’t exactly the catalyst for us to have the order,” Mr. Hagerty explained. “We’ve heard concerns from a number of people.”

Businesses are required to put signs on their doors saying that masks are mandatory, and must refuse entrance to anyone not wearing a face covering, according to the order. Exemptions include children under the age of two and pre-existing medical conditions.

The boundary for the mask requirement is slightly smaller than the town’s B1 commercial downtown zoning district, but generally encompasses Main street from Pease’s Point Way to the water. It stretches along the harbor from the Chappy ferry entrance to Davis Lane, and includes all of Kelley and Winter streets as well.

Mr. Hagerty said the town decided to include only part of the B1 district in the order because there are areas within the district that are less heavily traveled by pedestrians.

The order will be enforced by the board of health, and includes a ladder of increasing fines that start at $50 for first-time offenders and extends to $300. Mr. Hagerty said the town would likely hire individuals to help with enforcement and education.

“Ultimately, we are going to try to retain some ambassadors to educate,” Mr. Hagerty said.

The order further explains the town’s enforcement mechanism.

“Agents, officers and town-authorized ambassadors are encouraged to educate offenders and exercise their judgment on a case-by-case basis, and have discretion to issue verbal or written warnings as a measure before determining that a fine-able offense has occurred,” the order states.

Mr. Hagerty said he hoped the order would help limit the number of people without face coverings in the downtown district. Both Oak Bluffs and Chilmark have discussed taking similar steps, especially as summer kicks into gear.

“We were doing the best we can with what we have, and hopefully this will bring down some of the numbers in the downtown areas,” Mr. Hagerty said.