Shifting stances on face masks

People in COVID-19 hotspots likely should wear masks in public. The Trump administration is working on new guidelines encouraging the use of masks to slow the spread of the disease—a change in tone from earlier advice from global health officials. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio on Thursday asked residents to wear face coverings when they go outside.

Will there be enough masks? Though the White House hasn’t released the guidelines yet, it likely will encourage people to use nonmedical masks, T-shirts, or bandanas to cover their noses and mouths. Medical-grade masks like N95 masks would be reserved for health workers in light of growing shortages. The owner of the NFL’s New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, loaned his team’s private plane to pick up more than a million N95 masks from China and deliver them to hospitals in Boston and New York on Thursday.

Dig deeper: Read Julie Borg’s report in Beginnings about different treatments researchers are considering to treat COVID-19.