There are two sides to wearing face masks. Some people are for it, while some detest the idea. According to Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, the political divide over masks in America drives many people to confusion.
In an interview with Fox News, U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned he thinks masks are "good," but at the same time, they can cause problems. Additionally, he says he wants people to have a "certain freedom" when putting on the face covering.
Dr Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), holds up a model of SARS-CoV-2, known as the novel coronavirus, during a U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing on the plan to research, manufacture and distribute a coronavirus vaccine, known as Operation Warp Speed on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C, U.S., July 2, 2020.
Currently, citizens of twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia are now required to put on face masks when outside their homes to slow down the coronavirus's spread.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis told "Meet the Press" that he announced his mask order last week as he found that areas with local mask protocols had "less spread" of the virus.
Meanwhile, in Ohio, masks are mandated in counties marked in a "red" zone by the state's health department. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said that he would issue more preventive orders this week.
He added that people need to understand that it isn't simply about orders. He mentioned how people needed to understand the severity of what's going on around them and what they can do to stop it from getting worse.
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COVID-19 Surge in America
Concern from state leaders stems from America's struggles to deal with the recent surge of coronavirus cases across the country. Additionally, the U.S. is also experiencing increases in hospitalizations and death rates in many states.
According to an NBC News analysis, there have already been more than 3.7 million COVID-19 cases and 141,000 deaths in the U.S. as of July 19.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization's numbers reveal that America averaged 69,060 new daily cases between Monday to Friday last week. The tally was relatively high compared to France's average of 455, Germany's 408, and Italy's 182 new daily cases.
When asked why the country's caseload was so high, Collins answered that early on while other badly-hit states like New York were taking drastic steps to stop the virus' spread, others were rushing to relax their protocols and restrictions on matters like businesses and public life.
He added that others were probably imagining that the virus was just New York's problem and simply went on about their business. Collins said some states didn't really pay attention to the CDC's guidelines as they started congregating and refused to wear masks in public places.
Coronavirus Pandemic: America Needs to Hustle
The U.S. is now facing an extremely high number of 70,000 new cases of COVID-19 every day. Collins says it is equally concerning that the number of hospitalizations has risen higher, now almost comparable to how it was back in April, during the start of the pandemic.
He also addressed the reports about the White House being against spending billions of dollars for coronavirus funding, testing, and contact tracing. Commenting on the situation, he called the administration's posture "surprising," as many were hoping to see more support coming from them.
Furthermore, while the White House pushes to discredit Dr. Anthony Fauci, Collins said that no one asked him to fire Fauci and that the concept was simply "unimaginable."
Also Read: Austria Has 90% Drop in Coronavirus Cases After Requiring People to Wear Face Masks
