Face Masks To Become ‘New Normal’ For New York, Connecticut, Maryland And Pennsylvania On Governors Orders

TOPLINEGovernors in New York, Connecticut, Maryland and Pennsylvania are ordering their residents to wear facemasks while out in public, as they cautiously begin to prepare Americans for life after lockdown.

KEY FACTS

Crucial comment: Hogan issued an executive order on face masks on Wednesday, and said: “While this order is an important step in our immediate efforts to protect public health and safety, the wearing of masks is also something that we may all have to become more accustomed to in order to safely reopen our state.”

Additional info: The CDC has published guidelines on its website on how to create your own face covering, which you can find here.

Big number: 640,000 people in the U.S. have tested positive for coronavirus to date, while more than 30,000 people who tested positive for the disease, have died, data from Johns Hopkins University shows. According to a Reuters tally, some 50 doctors and nurses have died in the U.S. after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Key background: As the coronavirus pandemic gained a tighter grip on much of the world, there has been much debate about just how effective face masks are, who needs to wear them, and when. The CDC now advises that people wear face coverings, as well as keeping a 6 feet distance when in public. This is to slow the spread of the virus, which is transmitted through infected droplets from coughing, sneezing and talking. It is also crucial in stopping asymptomatic people from transmitting the virus.

The sudden surge in demand for facemasks and other personal protective equipment has led to global shortages, particularly among medical staff, where it is most needed. The shortage has prompted fashion companies and at-home sewers to make and donate non-medical grade face coverings to meet demand of the general population, and help protect the stocks of surgical masks, N-95 respirators and medical grade PPE for medical workers.

Further reading: Buy A Face Mask, Donate One To Someone In Need: 6 Options To Protect Yourself And Give To Vulnerable Populations (Forbes)

Here’s How Some Of The Countries Worst Hit By Coronavirus Are Dealing With Shortages Of Protective Equipment For Healthcare Workers (Forbes)

Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19 (CDC)

Governor Hogan Plans Gradual Rollout of Recovery Phase Amid “Very Real Reasons for Hope and Optimism” (Maryland governor’s website)

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