The US government is now recommending Americans wear cloth face-coverings on a voluntary basis to stem the spread of the coronavirus, although President Donald Trump said he himself will not use one.

In a daily briefing with reporters, Trump stressed that the recommendation should not be seen as replacing social-distancing measures considered key to slowing the outbreak.

“With the masks, it's going to be really a voluntary thing. You can do it, you don't have to do it. I'm choosing not to do it, but some people may want to do it and that's OK,” Trump said, according to Reuters.

US President Donald Trump speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on April 3, in Washington, DC. — AFP
US President Donald Trump speaks during the daily briefing on the novel coronavirus in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House on April 3, in Washington, DC. — AFP

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