CDC: Recommendation Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings, Especially in Areas of Significant Community-Based Transmission

April 10, 2020

AUTHORITY: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DATE PRODUCED: April 3, 2020

TYPE: Guidance/Protocol

THE QUESTIONS IT ANSWERS: 

  • When should cloth masks be used?

SHORT DESCRIPTION:

In light of new evidence that the coronavirus can spread between people interacting in close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.