President Donald Trump has recommended Americans to covertheir faces with scarves or homemade cloth masks while going outside to curbthe spread of the coronavirus though he would not wear one himself.
Citing the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), Trump urged people to wear face coverings like scarves or homemade clothmasks, and to keep medical-grade masks available for the health workers.
The CDC is advising the use of non-medical cloth facecovering as an additional voluntary public health measure, Trump told reportersduring a press briefing at the White House on Friday.
“The CDC is not recommending the use of medical-gradeor surgical-grade masks. Those needs to be used for medical people working tosave lives of Americans. Medical protective gear must be reserved for thefront-line healthcare workers who are performing those vital services,” hesaid.
CDC has recommended that Americans wear a basic cloth orfabric masks that can be either purchased online or simply made at home.
However, Trump said he will not follow that guidance.
“I just don’t want to wear one myself, it’s arecommendation,” he said.
“Somehow sitting in the Oval Office behind thatbeautiful Resolute Desk, the great Resolute Desk, I think wearing a face maskas I greet presidents, dictators, kings, queens, I don’t know, I don’t see itfor myself,” he said.
The deadly coronavirus has so far claimed over 7,000 livesin the US and infected over 2,70,000 people.
During the press conference, Trump stressed that the newmasks guidelines do not replace CDC’s guidance on social distancing, includingstaying at home when possible, standing at least 6 feet apart for a period oftime.
He also called for practicing hand hygiene.
Based on the new available data, CDC said the virus canspread between people interacting in close proximity–for example, speaking,coughing, or sneezing–even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms.