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By
Peter Urban,
AARP En español Published November 12, 2020The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidance on the use of cloth face masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus, now saying that beyond protecting others
the practice can help safeguard the wearer from infection.
Since April, the federal health agency has encouraged all Americans — even people who feel healthy — to wear valveless, multilayered cloth masks when out in public to help slow the spread of
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the COVID-19 illness. The masks can limit respiratory droplets released when a person sneezes, coughs, sings, talks or breathes from dispersing into the
air, which is the predominant way the virus is spread, according to the CDC.
Face masks also provide “personal protection” to wearers, acting as a filter to reduce respiratory droplets from being inhaled, according to the latest CDC guidance. The federal health
agency made the determination based on recent research. It also comes as the U.S. surpassed 10 million confirmed infections, with daily cases on the rise in 49 states — soaring well beyond
120,000 per day.
On Nov. 8, Utah became the 34th state to require people to wear face coverings in public to curb the spread of COVID-19. In general, the state orders require masks in restaurants and stores,
on public transit, in taxis and ride-hailing services, and outdoors when it is difficult to maintain 6 feet of distance from others.
The CDC stresses that it is important for people who feel healthy to follow the mask-wearing advice because more than half of transmissions are estimated to occur from individuals with
COVID-19 who do not have symptoms, according to the CDC.
Masks save money as well as livesThe American Medical Association (AMA) on Wednesday reasserted its calls for the public to do its part to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.