As cases rise in Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf said on Friday that Pennsylvania residents “should wear a cloth mask in public to help slow the spread of the coronavirus”, 6ABC reports.
As the CDC has also recommended the measure, Wolf urged residents to “make their own and wear them when they go to the grocery store, pharmacy, and other places where people congregate.”
In a video news conference today, Wolf said:
"Wearing a mask will help us cut down the possibility that we might be infecting an innocent bystander, like that grocery store cashier, the pharmacist, or someone stocking shelves. These folks are keeping us alive by getting us the supplies we need. We owe it to them to do everything we can to keep them safe. Right now, that means wearing a mask." He added that masks “are not foolproof - so it’s critical our first act is to ask if we really need to leave our house.”
The Department of Health posted guidance on masks on its website.
Of note: health experts have said that the face masks serve the purpose of protecting the people around you. In essence, your mask protects other people, and other people’s masks protect you. Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine added that you do NOT need a surgical mask or an N-95 mask - those are for our first responders and health care personnel.
In Pennsylvania, cases rose to 8,420 on Friday, with a death toll of 102. Check out more info from 6ABC right here.