US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls for a federal mandate on wearing masks through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) amid a rise in coronavirus cases.
She stresses that a federal mandate on wearing masks is “long overdue." She added that CDC suggested the use of masks to curb the spread of the virus but never mandated it as to “not offend” President Donald Trump.
“The president should be an example. Real men wear masks, be an example to the country, wear a mask,” Pelosi told ABC’s “This Week.” “It’s not about protecting yourself, it’s about protecting others.”
Mask wearing has become a critical subject of debate across the US despite research suggesting that face coverings can reduce coronavirus transmission.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, coronavirus cases in the US rose by more than 45,000 in one day on Friday. This is regarded as a record breaking increase that made the nation’s total go beyond 2.5 million cases.
On Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence did not directly address a question about a federal mandate on wearing masks. He noted that people should listen to what state and local officials are ordering about mask wearing in public.
During an interview with the vice president on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” “every state has a unique situation” and “we believe people should wear masks wherever social distancing is not possible.”
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was asked if the president and vice president should set an example in terms of wearing masks in public, he said there should be a “consistent national message” to wear masks.
“You can have two messages at the same time. Your message is, let’s grow our economy, but let’s also have the message of social distancing, protecting ourself and others from the virus,” Hutchinson told ABC’s “This Week.”
Arkansas reported a significant rise in new coronavirus cases in recent days, with the seven-day average increasing 36%.
Meanwhile, Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced that if elected as presidnet, he would require the wearing of masks in public. The CDC currently urges the public to wear face coverings in public where social distancing is difficult to maintain, and some states and local communities require masks.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Sunday criticized Trump for his “damaging” tweets and lack of a “message of health” to Americans to help manage the pandemic.
“Instead of tweeting the other day about the importance of masks, he tweeted about the monuments,” Inslee said in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “Now we need a president who will care more about living Americans and less about dead Confederates. This has an enormous impact.”
“And if we can get everybody wearing a MAGA hat to wear a mask, we’re going to tame this virus, because this masking is very, very effective,” Inslee added.
Effective
Social distancing and wearing of masks found effective in reducing COVID-19 risk, according to a study published in the medical journal The Lancet.
Findings revealed that people must stay at least three feet apart and more if possible.
The study, paid for by the World Health Organization, disclosed three major results that involve social distancing and use of face masks as effective protection from COVID-19.
When it comes to social distancing, the chance of virus transmission at a distance of less than 1 meter was 12.8%. However, that becomes 2.6% at a distance of more than one meter. What is more effective is distances of two meters. The veracity of the evidence appeared “moderate.”
