Surgeon General Jerome Adams is pleading with Americans to wear a mask to help curb the spread of coronavirus.
During a Monday appearance on “Fox & Friends,” the country’s top doctor said he was wrong to say face masks weren’t necessary during the initial outbreak of the virus.
“I’m pleading with your viewers. I’m begging you,” Adams told the network’s hosts. “Please understand that we are not trying to take away your freedoms when we say, ‘Wear a face covering.’”
During the early days of the pandemic, Adams said masks were ineffective and possibly even dangerous. He said face coverings provide a false sense of security and can cause people to touch their faces even more.
Now, he said his position has changed.
“We were wrong back in February and March based on the fact that we didn’t think there would be this high a degree of asymptomatic spread of coronavirus,” Adams said. “Once we realized that the science was different for this virus, we changed our recommendations.”
He said the entire administration, including the president, is “all on the same page” now about the importance of wearing masks.
While pushing the importance of face coverings, Adams did not advocate for a nationwide mask mandate. He said a federal mandate would require a "federal enforcement mechanism."
"If you’re going to have a mandate, I think those work best at the local and state levels, where you have the ability to work with people, educate them and not let them feel like there’s an outside entity trying to tell them what to do," he said.
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