By Stephanie Innes | Arizona Republic
Arizonans should be wearing cloth face coverings — masks — when they go out in public, the state’s health director said Wednesday.
The advice follows recently updated guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and reverses a previous recommendation that wearing face masks would not prevent the spread of COVID-19, which is caused by the new coronavirus.
“Anybody who can safely wear a cloth-based face covering — nonmedical — should consider doing that when they are out in the public accessing essential services,” Dr. Cara Christ, the Arizona Department of Health Services director, told The Arizona Republic. “What they are finding in the data is that people can be spreading the virus up to two days before they start showing symptoms. So there’s that asymptomatic spread. If you wear a mask when you are out in public you are less likely to expose others.”
Here are seven things you need to know about covering your face safely while also ensuring you are not taking away valuable resources from Arizona’s health care workforce:
