Trump says CDC now recommends Americans consider cloth masks in public

President Trump said Friday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that people wear cloth or fabric face coverings, which can be made at home, when entering public spaces such as grocery stores and public transit stations. It is mainly to prevent those people who have the virus — and might not know it — from spreading the infection to others.

The guidelines do not give many details about coverings beyond: "cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure."

Trump emphasized that wearing masks in public is voluntary and said he will not be doing so.

A federal official tells NPR that the White House pressured the agency to limit the scope of the wording of the new guidance. The CDC wanted to emphasize that the recommendation could be helpful for Americans in all parts of the country, given that it is becoming increasing difficult to designate particular areas as "hot spots," since the virus is present in so many areas of the country. In the end, this source tells NPR, the White House insisted the guidance emphasize the use of face coverings in areas where there is widespread community transmission of the virus.

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