Trump: It’s up to the local government to impose mask-wearing mandate

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany announced on Thursday that President Donald Trump would not be issuing a nationwide mandate on the wearing of masks. 
• Trump leaves the mask-wearing provision to the local government.
• Based on a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, countries that implemented the face-covering mandate achieved a lower death rate than those that did not impose.

During a press briefing on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that President Donald Trump does not want to issue a nationwide mandate regarding mask-wearing to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. 

According to McEnany, Trump is leaving the decision to the local government in imposing the wearing of face coverings in their respective jurisdictions.

“We leave it to localities to make the decisions with regard to face coverings. [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines remain the same today: recommended but not required,” McEnany said.

In his interview with the medical journal JAMA on Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield pertained to face coverings as the country’s “major defense to prevent ourselves from getting this infection.”

Redfield’s comments came after CDC released a study, saying that countries that did not implement face-covering order yield a higher fatality rate than those with existing mandates. In its recommendation, the research concluded that the government should authorize masks wearing. 

McEnany said that the president would wear a mask in places where social distancing guidance could not be observed.

“He did wear a mask this weekend when he visited the hospital… So he has shown that, you know, he’ll wear a mask,” she said. 

The US is facing a resurgence of new coronavirus cases. Many local governments across the country have imposed ordinances on wearing masks but most governors had ignored to declare statewide orders.

Source: AOL.com