White House likely to advise people in coronavirus hot spots to wear masks

The White House is expected to issue guidance for people in areas hard hit by the coronavirus to wear face coverings to help stop the spread of the disease, an administration official said on Thursday.

The announcement was not planned for Thursday, the official said and would be targeted at areas with high community transmission of the coronavirus.

The administration has gone back and forth on whether to advise Americans to wear face masks. At the beginning of the pandemic, officials encouraged people not to do so if they weren't already sick, but they have been shifting away from that guidance and studying new policies in recent days.

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