New York City Mayor asks residents to cover their faces outside

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday, April 2, asked city residents to cover their faces when leaving their homes, a first in the city most affected by the coronavirus in the United States. “It could be a scarf, something you made at home, a bandana“, Explained the city councilor during a press briefing, but that”does not need to be a professional mask».

On the contrary, he hammered, “we don’t want you to use the masks needed by emergency personnel and caregivers”, And of which it is not certain that they could be available in sufficient quantity until the end of the pandemic.

New York has recorded 1,562 deaths from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, according to figures released Thursday at the end of the day by the city’s health authorities, 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 through respiration

This study highlights cases of transmission of the virus in Singapore by asymptomatic people. It also indicates that transmission could notably occur through breathing alone. “Speech and other vocal activities, such as singing, have been shown to generate particles in the air, with a propensity related to sound level“, Explain the authors of the study, published Wednesday.

During his daily press briefing, Donald Trump did not clearly give instructions 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 social distancing and frequent hand washing, explained the manager.

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