First lady Melania Trump is encouraging Americans to wear face masks to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued such a recommendation on Friday.
“As the weekend approaches I ask that everyone take social distancing & wearing a mask/face covering seriously. [COVID -19] is a virus that can spread to anyone – we can stop this together,” she tweeted Friday.
Her tweet came shortly after President Trump announced that his administration was recommending Americans wear homemade masks or face coverings but emphasized it was “voluntary” and added: ” I’m choosing not to do it, but some people may want to do it, and that’s OK.”
The new CDC recommendation marks a reversal from its guidance at the beginning of the outbreak when it suggested healthy people did not need to wear masks because it would not protect them from contracting the disease. But new research has shown the virus lingering for hours in the air after infected people cough, sneeze or even speak.
[NOTE: The CDC link includes a how to sew a cloth mask]
