The White House is urging Americans to wear cloth face coverings.
This is in addition to keeping your social distance of a minimum of 6 feet as well as staying home and washing your hands for at least 20 seconds.
White House coronavirus response coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, was careful to caution that any recommendation on masks must be “additive” and not a substitute for existing social distancing guidelines. Birx said people often feel “an artificial sense of protection because they are behind a mask.”
“Don’t get a false sense of security,” she said.
Unless you are a health care worker, or a first responder, you DO NOT need a N95 mask. A cloth mask is sufficient.
Initial CDC guidelines advised Americans against wearing masks unless they were medical professionals or were infected with the virus. The White House has been urging people without symptoms not to buy N95 or medical masks, fearing it would lead to further shortages.
The advisory, officials say, is aimed at reducing the risk of spread by people who are infected but are not showing symptoms.
“Wearing a cloth mask is not a substitute for staying home and regularly washing our hands,” the duo said in a joint statement Thursday. “By wearing a cloth mask when in public, we will limit transmission of the virus. Put simply, my mask protects you, and your mask protects me.”
Tutorial on making a mask:
Katy Disaster Response 