President Donald Trump finally bowed to pressure on Saturday 12 July, 2020 and wore a face mask in the public for the first time as the US recorded a single-day 66,2528 cases and nearly 800 deaths.
Though the White House officials leading the national fight recommended wearing of face coverings in the public against the coronavirus transmission, Trump had on many occasions seen not wearing a mask.
This recommendation became imperative as some White House staff tested positive for the virus, and consequently, more aides started wearing masks.
Trump was seen wearing a dark mask bearing presidential seal when he visited wounded military veterans at the Walter Reed military hospital in a surbub outside Washington on Saturday 12 July, 2020.
Hours before, the World Health Organisation had urged countries to do more in ensuring the disease infection is under maximum control.
“I’ve never been against masks but I do believe they have a time and a place,” President Donald Trump told the reporters while leaving the White House.
Trump will be contesting against Democrat Joe Biden in the US presidential election coming up in November, 2020, with recent surveys showing most Americans unhappy with how he has responded to the public health crisis.
Even in the face of staggering figures of the pandemic spread across the United States, the president has continuously praised his response to the pandemic.
The United States on Saturday night confirmed 66,528 new infections and nearly 800 deaths.
Including the Saturday’s confirmation, the US has recorded more than 3.2 million coronavirus cases with close to 134,000 deaths.
The US tops the list of the hardest hit countries by the pandemic followed by Brazil, which surpassed 70,000 deaths on Friday, last week.
With 12.5 million cases and over 560,000 deaths worldwide, the coronavirus infection has hit hard on many countries’ economies since its first case in China in December, 2019.
