United States President Donald Trump wears a mask when he visits the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on July 11, 2020.
Alex Edelman | AFP | fake pictures
While most of the world has become accustomed to wearing face masks as a measure of protection against coronavirus, the United States seems to hesitate wildly.
President Donald Trump appears to have finally adopted a face mask and has apparently endorsed the use of masks, tweeting Monday that it was a “patriotic” act to do so during the pandemic.
Then on Tuesday, he went further and told reporters at a White House briefing that “Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact, they have an effect and we need everything we can get. “
In many countries in Europe, anyone entering shops or using public transport must wear a mask or risk a fine. Facial masks are mandatory in many states in India, and not wearing a mask in some parts of China can lead to an arrest. The United Kingdom will also bring the mandatory use of masks in stores and supermarkets starting this Friday, after the government’s indecision on the benefits of using masks.
For the rest of the world, the evolving message from the White House on the subject and the change in direction are somewhat curious.
“We have seen a change in the tone of the White House, the president finally spoke of wearing masks. But I must say that based in Europe that all this debate and politicization of the subject of masks, is becoming part of the US The culture wars are pretty surreal to watch, “Tina Fordham, director of global political strategy at Avonhurst, told CNBC.
For its part, the World Health Organization updated its guidance in June to recommend that governments ask everyone to wear cloth face masks in public areas where there is a risk of Covid-19 transmission. He warned that masks were only a tool that could reduce the risk of viral transmission and that they should not give a false sense of protection.
A Gallup poll released in mid-July showed that mask use is growing in the United States, with nearly nine out of 10 respondents who said they had worn one the week before the survey.
However, the data on how often masks are used is more varied; Gallup reported that 44% of American adults surveyed say they “always” wear a mask when they are away from home, and 28% say they do it “very often.” Three out of 10 reported doing so less frequently, including 11% “sometimes”, 4% “rarely” and 14% “never”.
Gallup found that women, Democrats, and Northeast people always wear masks in public, after conducting an online probability-based survey between June 29 and July 5, “as Covid-19 cases increased. in various states, including Florida, Texas, Arizona and California. ”
The United States is not the worst offender when it comes to wearing masks. A YouGov survey shows that the use of face covers has increased dramatically since March: The percentage of people who say they wear a mask in public has increased from 7% in March to 75% in mid-July.
The lowest use of face masks in public is observed in the Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, one of the few countries in the world that resists a blockade.
The United States recorded more than 3.9 million cases of the virus and 142,068 deaths, data from Johns Hopkins University showed on Wednesday.
Trump’s apparent change of heart about the virus, the severity of which he has frequently downplayed despite the fact that the number of cases in the US continues to rise, was most evident on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters, Trump warned that the pandemic in the United States is likely to “get worse before it gets better.”
Fordham said the comments were an acknowledgment by Trump “that the pandemic will not be defeated and that the economic impact will not be reversed before the election and that this will be a feature of the picture.”
He suggested that the White House decision to resume daily coronavirus briefings was made with the view that it gave the president a “valuable platform … in what will be a hotly contested election” in November.
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