The recommendation for mask use in the US has been changing, but for good reason

Florida imposes fines on those who do not wear face masks 1:07

(CNN) - First, health officials said that we should not wear masks. Then they said we should use them. Now many say we have to use them if we want to protect the economy, reopen more schools, and save tens of thousands of lives.

"If we all covered ourselves for the next four, six, eight and 12 weeks across the country, this transmission of the virus would stop," said Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC , for its acronym in English).

But President Donald Trump said he will not consider a federal mandate on face masks, citing outdated statements made several months ago.

"Dr. Fauci said not to wear a mask. Our general manager of Health, an excellent guy, said not to wear a mask. Everyone was saying not to wear a mask, ”Trump told Chris Wallace of Fox News in an interview that aired on Sunday.

“Suddenly everyone must wear a mask. And as you know, masks also cause problems. That being said, I believe in masks. I think the masks are good. "

It is true that in February and March, health officials such as Dr. Anthony Fauci and the US Director General of Health, Dr. Jerome Adams, advised people not to wear masks.

READ : Do you want to avoid another closure, save 33,000 lives and protect yourself? Wear a face mask, doctors say

But Fauci, Adams, the CDC and the World Health Organization turned their backs on the guide to wearing masks. In recent months, scientists have learned more about how easily this new coronavirus can spread in public:

• This virus can be transmitted simply by speaking or breathing.
• This coronavirus is highly contagious. With no mitigation efforts like orders to stay home, each person with coronavirus infects an average of two to three other people. That makes it twice as contagious as the flu.
• It is easy to spread the coronavirus without any symptoms, either from asymptomatic carriers or presymptomatic carriers.
• This virus has a long incubation period, up to 14 days, which provides ample opportunity for people to infect others before they know they are infected.
• Those who carry it can be more contagious in the 48 hours before they have symptoms, making transmission even more blind.

In other words, not only people who sneeze and cough can transmit the coronavirus. Often, people look completely normal and do not have a fever. And that could include you.

"The cloth face liners are meant to protect others in case the user is unknowingly infected and has no symptoms," the CDC said.

They explained that everyone "should wear a cloth face covering when they have to go out in public, for example, to the supermarket or to collect other necessities."

But the benefits go both ways. “The cloth face covering can protect [users]. The fabric face covering can protect you, ”the CDC said.

If 95% of Americans wore face masks in public, more than 45,000 deaths could be prevented by Nov. 1, according to the University of Washington Institute for Health Assessment and Measurement.

READ : OPINION | Bernie Sanders and Andy Slavitt: Masks for all, the solution against covid-19 in the United States 

Why were health officials telling us not to wear masks before?

At the beginning of this pandemic, scientists did not know how easily this virus spreads among people without symptoms or how long infectious particles could remain in the air.

There was also a shortage of N95 respirators and facemasks among healthcare workers who were quickly overwhelmed with covid-19 patients. Some medical workers ended up wearing plastic covers or other ordinary items like makeshift face masks, often of inferior quality, while working closely with covid-19 patients.

In March, both the World Health Organization and the CDC said that healthy people should not wear face masks, but should be reserved for those who are sick or care for the sick.

Adams posted a tweet on February 29 urging people not to buy face masks.

But in early April, both the CDC and Adams reversed their guidance after doctors learned more about how easily the coronavirus spreads without symptoms. They even created a video that shows how to make a mask with just a T-shirt and rubber bands, without the need to sew anything.

In June, WHO also reversed its guidance. The global health agency now says countries should urge the public to wear cloth masks where there is widespread transmission of the virus and where physical distancing is difficult.

READ : Cloth masks don't work as well as medical-grade versions, researchers say

What are the doctors saying about the masks now?

"People need to know that wearing masks can reduce virus transmission by up to 50% and those who refuse are putting their lives, those of their families, friends and communities at risk," said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Assessment and Measurement.

There are only a few groups of people who shouldn't be wearing cloth masks, including children under the age of 2 and people who have respiratory problems, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Fauci strongly urges the public to wear face masks when social distancing is not possible, especially now that states have reopened and more people are in public.

Plan A: Don't get into a crowd. Plan B: If you do, be sure to wear a mask, ”said Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert.

As for the idea that wearing a mask could cause health problems, Fauci said that is not true.

"There has been no indication that putting on a mask and wearing it for a considerable period of time has any adverse effect on oxygen exchange or anything like that," Fauci said. "No way."

READ : New poll reaffirms that most Americans do not trust the president, but they do trust Dr. Fauci

Which states have mask wear requirements?

More than two dozen states and the District of Columbia have mandates to wear cloth masks in public.

"It is an incredibly simple, inexpensive intervention that is now becoming an effective intervention, both for individuals (and) for communities," said Murray.

"There is no reason why each state should not do what others are beginning to do, which is the mandatory use of masks."

Other countries have required the use of a mask at the national level, including Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria.

READ : In Catalonia it will be mandatory to wear a mask, without exceptions. How the measure will work

Do the mask use rules really help?

An estimated 230,000 to 450,000 cases of covid-19 were estimated in states that enacted standards for mask use between April 8 and May 15, researchers from the University of Iowa found.

The IHME projected a total of 208,255 deaths in the US from covid-19 for November 1. But the number of expected deaths drops by 45,447, to 162,808, if 95% of Americans wear masks in public, the researchers said.

What about my civil liberties?

Wearing a face mask will give you more freedom, not less, said the US director general of Health.

"Some feel that facial linings infringe on their freedom to choose, but if they use them more, we will have MORE freedom to go out," Adams, who was named by Trump, tweeted.

“Facial covers → less asymptomatic viral spread → more open spots, and sooner! Exercise and promote your freedom by choosing to wear a face covering! ”

Some feel face coverings infringe on their freedom of choice- but if more wear them, we'll have MORE freedom to go out.

Face coverings ➡️ less asymptomatic viral spread ➡️ more places open, and sooner!

Exercise and promote your freedom by choosing to wear a face covering! pic.twitter.com/3A4fW2qmN8

- Jerome Adams (@JeromeAdamsMD) June 14, 2020

Murray agreed that one of the fastest ways to help control covid-19 and help prevent a second wave of economic closings is to wear a mask.

"For almost every state we've seen, if we can get people to wear masks, we can not only save lives, but ... we can also save the economy, because we can keep business going."

Can I stop taking other precautions if I wear a mask?

No. It is still important to maintain social distance whenever possible and wash your hands frequently, especially since you could touch a contaminated surface (such as the front of your mask) and then touch your face when you have removed your mask.

"Don't have a false sense of security that this mask protects you exclusively from infection," said Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force.

"There are other ways to get infected."

Redfield, the CDC director, said cloth face masks "are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus."

But "the most powerful tool we have, the most powerful weapon, is social distancing."

Maggie Fox, Nicky Robertson, Jacqueline Howard and Jen Christensen contributed to this report.

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