The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reversed itself on self-mask, now recommending that Americans wear “non-medical cloth” face coverings.
President Donald Trump made this known on Friday.
Trump said the recommendations, which came after a week of heated deliberations inside the White House, were voluntary and that he would not partake.
“I don’t think I’m going to be doing it,” he said, going on to suggest it was hard to envision such a thing in the Oval Office: “Wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens — I just don’t see it.”
After weeks of insisting Americans should not wear face masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus — and even suggesting their use could increase the chance of infection — administration officials this week engaged in an internal debate over reversing course, according to people familiar with the matter.
Speaking at the White House briefing on Friday, the US surgeon general acknowledged the change in position had stoked some uncertainty.
“It has been confusing to the American people,” Dr. Jerome Adams said. He described the change as spurred by new information suggesting people without symptoms may account for a significant amount of transmission.
With almost 300,000 confirmed cases, the US has the most coronavirus patients in the world.
