By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
It was only recently that U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams suggested that a national mask mandate wasn’t necessary for the American public to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the surgeon general told BlackPressUSA this week that wearing face coverings could help speed up a safe recovery, school re-openings, and save lives.
“The best science we have available right now tells us the debate is over we all should be wearing a face-covering to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Adams told NNPA President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., during the interview streamed over BlackPressUSA’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
“Science is all about making the best recommendations you can with the best information you have and then having the humility and vigilance to continue to look at data,” Dr. Adams submitted. “As data change, the recommendations change.”
Dr. Adams added that Americans should follow what he called are the three W’s: Wear facemasks, wash your hands, and watch your distance.”
“We know if you do these things, we can turn around this epidemic very quickly,” Dr. Adams declared. “Italy is now open for tourism again, playing soccer games and opening schools. So, we can do it even without a vaccine. This [wearing a facemask] is a small inconvenience that will provide big benefits for you, the one you love, and your communities.”
During the interview, Dr. Adams discussed the importance of African Americans participating in clinical trials for potential coronavirus vaccines, health disparities, and the importance of the speaking to people of color through BlackPressUSA.
To view the full interview, which will air July 27, 2020 at 7PM ET, visit www.facebook.com/blackpressusa/live_videos and www.youtube.com/c/blackpressusatv.
