CDC recommends wearing cloth masks in public

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that Americans wear wearing cloth masks in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. The CDC considers cloth masks an additional, voluntary public health measure.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic COVID-19 expert, explains the difference between medical masking and public masking, and discusses the proper way to put a mask on and off to prevent the spread of disease.

To practice safe social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, this interview was conducted using video conferencing. The sound and video quality are representative of the technology used.

Dr. Poland has served as a consultant for Merck & Co. Inc., Medicago Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Sanofi Pasteur, Emergent BioSolutions Inc., Dynavax Technologies Corp., Genentech Inc., Eli Lilly and Co., Kentucky BioProcessing Inc. and Genevant Sciences Corp., and Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. He is a paid scientific adviser for Johnson & Johnson. Honoraria: Elsevier.