CHARLOTTE — One of President Joe Biden’s first official acts is to require the use of masks and social distancing in all federal buildings, on federal lands and by federal employees and contractors.
>> Read the entire executive order here.
The White House recommends:
- Every American to wear a mask when they are around people outside their household.
- Every governor to make that mandatory in their state.
- Local authorities to also make it mandatory to support their state’s orders.
[LINK: The White House’s priorities on how to combat COVID-19]
Health experts and scientists have repeatedly said that wearing masks and social distancing helps stop the spread of COVID-19.
Dr. Julie Swann with North Carolina State University has studied the effectiveness of masks. She leads a team chosen by the CDC to create models for supporting states with their decision-making on the coronavirus.
[NC’s mask mandate: Here’s what you need to know]
“One of the things that we saw months ago was states that had clear, consistent messaging on using face coverings seem to be doing better than ones that were not, and we really wanted to better understand that,” Swann said.
>> In the video at the top of this page, watch reporter DaShawn Brown’s interview with Dr. Swann.
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