WASHINGTON • The White House is likely to recommend that people living in areas hardest hit by the coronavirus cover their faces in public, according to a person familiar with the matter, as new research shows that the pathogen may hang in the air after people sneeze, cough or even talk.
The administration will not urge Americans to buy commercial medical-grade masks, which are in short supply at hospitals.
The recommendation from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention would apply to areas with high levels of community transmission of the virus, the person said.
Officials in New York City, the epicentre of the outbreak in the US, and in California's Bay Area on Thursday told residents they should cover their faces when they are outside.
Public health authorities and researchers have been racing to understand how the coronavirus spreads. A growing body of research suggests that small, virus-laden droplets of spit or mucus from a cough, sneeze or even talking could linger in the air, creating a source of infection that circumvents hand-washing and surface cleaning.
There is also more evidence that people without symptoms could be causing infections. The government would ask people to cover their faces for essential activities such as going to the grocery store, while continuing to recommend that Americans stay home from work and school as much as possible and avoid gathering in groups.
The person asked not to be identified because a final decision on the guidance has not been made. The decision is expected soon, the person said. The recommendation may have been influenced by a quickly assembled report from the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
Wednesday's report, which was requested by the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, concludes that the virus can be spread through the air, even during regular conversation, at far higher levels than first thought.
Scientists originally believed that the risk of infections came mainly from droplets produced when an infected person coughed or sneezed.
Recent research suggests that the virus may also be aerosolised when a patient exhales.
Broad use of facial coverings is less about protecting the wearer, and more about protecting others. With some people experiencing mild or no symptoms, a facial cover may help limit exhaled or expelled virus droplets from infecting others.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday at a press conference that the new recommendation came after recent information showed people without symptoms can transmit the disease.
He urged all of the city's residents to cover their faces when outside and near others to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. "It doesn't need to be a professional surgical mask. In fact, we don't want you to use the kind of masks that our first responders need, that our healthcare workers need. Don't use those," said Mr de Blasio.
New York City Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot recommended cloth face coverings such as bandannas or a scarf, washed daily with soap and water. Paper may also be used as long as it is kept clean and dry, she said.
A recent study from the University of Nebraska found the virus' genetic signature scattered throughout the rooms and in the air surrounding Covid-19 patients, extending even out into the hallways of the hospital where they were receiving care. Work is still under way to determine if the particles can infect people.
Another report that examined levels of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes the Covid-19 disease, at two hospitals in Wuhan, China, found that they were highest in the toilet facilities for patients and in the rooms where health staff put on and removed their protective gear.
BLOOMBERG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
