White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday backed calls for people to wear masks in public and when social distancing may be difficult and encouraged Americans to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
An increasing number of lawmakers and administration officials are joining calls for people to wear masks as states across the country see spikes in new COVID-19 cases as establishments, restaurants and bars begin to open.
“Wearing masks, social distancing, all this stuff we know, it really does stop the spread. And I encourage people to do that,” Mrs. Conway, counselor to the president, told Fox News.
“We need to have priorities in our states and in this nation,” she continued. “Do you want to open the bars now, or do you want to open the schools and the day care centers in a few short weeks? I vote for the latter.”
Republican lawmakers have also suggested that President Trump should occasionally wear a mask to rid the political stigma surrounding the suggested precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Mr. Trump has resisted wearing a mask, noting people who are around him are constantly tested for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, has urged people to wear a face mask in public and tweeted Tuesday that the country should have “no stigma, none, about wearing masks when we leave our homes and come near other people.”
“Wearing simple face coverings is not about protecting ourselves, it is about protecting everyone we encounter,” he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends “that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings when around people outside of their household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.”
