Trump urges Americans to voluntarily don masks: ‘I won’t do it’

President Trump on Friday urged Americans to voluntarily don cloth masks to combat the spread of coronavirus.

He stressed the voluntary nature of the new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which had gone back and forth about whether Americans need to wear home-made masks to cover their mouths and noses in public.

“It’s really going to be a voluntary thing. You can do it or not do it. I’m not going to do it,” Mr. Trump said at the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House.

The president explained that the CDC wanted Americans to use a cloth face covering while reserving sophisticated N95 masks for health workers on the front lines of the pandemic.

“The CDC is not recommending the use of medical-grade or surgical-grade masks,” said Mr. Trump.

The masks do not protect the wearer so much as they prevent people from emitting the pathogen. Some people may be contagious and transmit the virus before they show symptoms.

Deborah Birx, the U.S. coronavirus response coordinator, has said the guidance should be viewed as an add-on, and not a replacement for “social distancing” rules that urge people to stay at home when possible and stay six feet apart from others when venturing out. She doesn’t want the masks to give Americans a false sense of complacency.

Surgeon General Jerome Adams said the CDC and the task force revised the guidance on masks because new data revealed the virus was being spread by people who are infected but not displaying symptoms, such as coughing and fever.

Americans should consider wearing cloth or homemade masks when in grocery stores, pharmacies and other public places, he said.

But the masks do not negate the need for people to wash hands, avoid touching their face or keeping a 6-foot distance between each other.

“This is not a substitute for social distancing,” said Dr. Adams.

The guidance says children younger than 2 and those who might experience trouble breathing should not wear masks.

Mask-wearing is common in Asia but it’s an unusual concept in the U.S.

President Trump has said he thinks a scarf might be a better option than a mask.

Lawmakers in both parties had pushed the CDC to release the guidance.

“Wearing a cloth mask is not a substitute for staying home and regularly washing our hands, but it is an important complement,” Sens Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania Republican, and Michael Bennet, Colorado Democrat, said. “By wearing a cloth mask when in public, we will limit transmission of the virus, which can be spread through saliva emitted via cough, sneeze, or even when speaking and breathing. Put simply, my mask protects you, and your mask protects me.”