Trump says CDC wants Americans to cover faces with cloth amid coronavirus
From WWW.FOXNEWS.COM
President Trump on Friday announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending Americans wear facial coverings made of cloth while out in public to help stop the spread of coronavirus -- though the president repeatedly called it "voluntary" and said he wouldn't do it himself.
The change in guidelines signals a major shift in how officials are looking to combat the spread of COVID-19. The president, during a briefing with the White House coronavirus task force, said the recommendation is being made because of studies indicating asymptomatic people are spreading the virus.
“In light of these studies, the CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth face coverings as an additional voluntary public health measure," Trump said. "So it’s voluntary. You don’t have to do it.”
The president added: “I don’t think I’m going to be doing it.” He said he can't imagine himself sitting in the Oval Office of the White House behind "that beautiful Resolute Desk" wearing a mask.
In a Friday statement, the CDC said “the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms.”
“In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission,” the CDC said.
For weeks, the general public was advised by both the Trump administration and the CDC as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) that only those who were ill or had underlying health issues should wear face masks, and that the surgical masks and N95 protective gear should be reserved for health care workers.
But Dr. Jerome Adams, the surgeon general, said during the briefing they’ve evolved on the issue because of the number of asymptomatic people who may be spreading coronavirus. He pleaded with Americans who are not sick to leave the N95 and surgical masks for medical professionals and instead make homemade cloth coverings if they decide to use them.
Also during the press conference, Trump announced that the federal government will reimburse hospitals for treating people who don't have insurance if they become sick from coronavirus. The president opened the briefing by emphasizing how New York City, Louisiana, Michigan and New Jersey are among the hardest-hit places in the United States.
The announcements came as the White House is taking new steps to protect the president and vice president: it said those who come into close proximity to Trump or Vice President Pence will be required to take a rapid ... (Read more)
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