Congressional leaders were asked Tuesday to make face masks freely available to every American to help slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Reps. Adam B. Schiff and Ro Khanna, California Democrats, proposed Congress make the masks available by authorizing their distribution via the next coronavirus relief package.
“The simple step of creating a mechanism to provide masks to the American people would send a powerful message about their efficacy and importance in our fight against COVID-19,” they wrote in a letter sent to House and Senate leaders.
“We should make it as easy as possible for Americans to protect their health and the health of those around them,” the congressmen continued, adding the masks could be distributed by the U.S. Postal Service and otherwise made available for pick-up at locations throughout the country.
In addition to being highly contagious and potentially lethal, COVID-19 is dangerous on account of people being able to contract and transmit the virus without ever feeling ill.
And since COVID-19 can be spread when a carrier speaks, coughs or sneezes, public health officials strongly recommend people wear facial coverings while in public or in groups.
“While nothing short of a vaccine or a cure can truly end the threat of this virus, we must aggressively pursue simple and affordable courses of action that can mitigate infections and save tens of thousands of lives,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote in their letter.
More than 18.6 million positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide since the outbreak began late last year, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University. Over one-third of those cases — 4.7 million and counting — have been documented in the U.S., according to the university.
Mr. Schiff and Mr. Khanna represent congressional districts covering parts of Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, respectively.
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