US President Donald Trump Wears Face Mask In Public For First Time During Coronavirus Pandemic

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump was spotted wearing a mask in public on Saturday for the first time amid surging cases of COVID-19 in the country. He visited the Walter Reed Military Hospital on Saturday. He flew by helicopter to the hospital to meet the wounded soldiers and medical staff.

The president refused to use a mask in public but he told reporters at the White House prior to his visit to the hospital, "When you’re in a hospital, especially... I think it’s expected to wear a mask."

He further added that "When you are talking to the soldiers, people that in some cases just got off the operating table. I think it's a great thing to wear a mask." Trump asserted that he was not against the use of masks but believes that they have a time and a place. The president was never seen wearing a mask in public during these days.

Joe Biden's spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement that, "Donald Trump spent months ignoring the advice of medical experts and politicising wearing a mask, one of the most important things we can do to prevent the spread of the virus."

In late June, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn said that, "Unfortunately, this simple lifesaving practice has become part of a political debate that says: If you’re for Trump, you don’t wear a mask. If you’re against Trump, you do."

Walter Reed carries this recommendation on its website: "Whenever you're out in public, like a local grocery store or pharmacy, where it's hard to keep 6 feet of social space, you should wear a  mask. The facility also states that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests wearing cloth-covers to stop the spread of coronavirus."

According to the Johns Hopkins University data, the United States, one of the worst-hit by the coronavirus, on Saturday reported 66,528 fresh coronavirus cases in a period of 24 hours. The country has 3.29 Million positive cases and 137K people due to coronavirus infection.