New York Mayor Bill de Blasio asked city residents to cover their faces on Thursday, April 2, when they leave their homes, a first in the city most affected by coronavirus in the United States. " It can be a scarf, something you made at home, a bandana, " explained the city official at a press conference, but it " does not have to be a professional mask ".
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On the contrary, he insisted, " we do not want you to use the masks that emergency personnel and carers need ", and which it is not certain that they could be available in sufficient quantity until the end of the pandemic.
New York has registered 1,562 coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to figures released late Thursday by city health officials, and is approaching 50,000 positive cases (49,707). The mayor explained that the decision to ask residents to cover their faces was made on the basis of a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national health authority in the United States.
Transmission by breathing
This study highlights cases of transmission of the virus in Singapore by asymptomatic people. It also indicates that the transmission could notably occur by breathing alone. " It has been shown that speech and other vocal activities, such as singing, can generate particles in the air, with a propensity related to sound level, " say the authors of the study, published Wednesday.
During his daily press briefing, Donald Trump did not clearly instruct him to protect his face, leaving the choice to the Americans. " I don't think it will be mandatory, " he said of the recommendations given by some local elected officials, " because some do not want to. "
" We don't want people to feel artificially protected, " warned Dr. Deborah Birx, in charge of coordinating the fight against the coronavirus at the White House. " It is a complement " to the recommendations already made, namely in particular social distancing and frequent hand washing, explained the manager.