Facebook will add messages to its News Feed and Instagram feed to encourage people to wear face masks, the company said Thursday. An alert will appear at the top of News Feeds on Facebook directing users to the COVID-19 Information Center, and they will have links to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information. Instagram will include a similar message with CDC links.
The company says the measure is in response to the increase in COVID-19 cases in the United States. On Wednesday, the United States set a single-day record, adding 50,000 new cases, as many states began to reconsider their June reopening plans. As of Thursday, the United States has more than 2.7 million cases of COVID-19, and more than 128,000 people have died.
The current CDC recommendation is that people wear masks in public spaces to protect others from possible infection. Masks reduce the transmission of respiratory droplets that can spread the virus.
Facebook has struggled to contain misinformation about the coronavirus on its platforms during the pandemic. The company has added new features to try to stop the flood of misinformation, including an alert to inform people that they may have interacted with a post that had false information.
The hints for the mask will start appearing on Instagram and Facebook later today, the company said.
