United States President Donald Trump has undermined the message of the country’s top infectious diseases expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, by vowing not to order Americans to wear masks in an effort to contain Covid-19 infections.
Fauci had this week urged state and local leaders to be as forceful as possible’’ in getting people to wear masks. Wearing masks was ‘really important’, he said. ‘We should be using them, everyone.’
The US, the epicentre of the global pandemic, has more than 3.6 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, and has recorded more than 139 000 deaths, the highest toll in the world.
Trump, who had previously resisted wearing a mask himself, donned one for the first time last Saturday. However, he told Fox News on Friday that he didn’t agree with a national mask mandate, saying people should have a ‘certain freedom’.
The BBC notes that the wearing of face coverings has become highly politicised in the US.
It said the majority of state governors had ordered that wearing masks outdoors was now mandatory.
Earlier in the week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a statement urging everyone to wear masks.
‘We are not defenceless against COVID-19,’ said CDC director Dr Robert R Redfield. ‘Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus – particularly when used universally within a community setting.’