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Because of the dramatically increasing coronavirus infections in the USA, US President Donald Trump has, in a rare move, worn a mask at a public appearance. Television pictures showed Trump wearing a blue mouth-and-nose mask with the President’s seal on it on Friday evening (local time) at the Walter Reed Military Hospital in Bethesda near Washington.
Meanwhile, the USA recorded the most new infections in one day since the beginning of the pandemic. According to the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) on Saturday, the number of new infections registered the day before was 66,627.
Only on Thursday the number had risen to a record 63,247. The number of new infections in the USA, a country with about 330 million inhabitants, has increased significantly since mid-June as a result of the relaxation of corona regulations. Since the beginning of the pandemic, JHU researchers have recorded more than 3.2 million infections with the corona virus. More than 134,000 people have died. Although the number of deaths recorded daily is still lower than at the peak of the crisis, it has increased again. On Friday the JHU statistics registered 802 deaths.
According to the White House, Trump wanted to meet wounded soldiers and their relatives in the hospital. He also wanted to meet with medical personnel who are caring for the sick in the Corona crisis. Trump told journalists before the visit: “I’ll probably be wearing a mask if you need to know.” He added, “I think it’s great to wear a mask. I’ve never been against masks, but I think there’s a time and a place for it. ” He added that a mask was appropriate in the hospital where some of the wounded had just been operated on.
Trump had announced guidelines from the CDC in April recommending the use of a mask. However, he immediately made it clear that he would not wear a mask himself. Trump and the White House justified this by saying that the President is regularly tested for the corona virus. Trump is nevertheless accused of setting a bad example in the ongoing pandemic by his appearance without a mask.
The pictures from Walter Reed Hospital were not the first in which Trump wore a mask. During a factory visit to Michigan in May, Trump wore a mask for part of the tour and was photographed.
A large proportion of new infections are currently reported from southern and western states, including Florida and California. In Florida, authorities reported more than 10,000 new infections in one day on Saturday. Governor Ron De Santis – who, like Trump, is a member of the Republican Party – rejected accusations that he had been hasty in relaxing protective measures in Florida.
- Hector Pascua, with reports from CNN and NBC News
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