White House rejects national strategy on masks
People wearing protective mask ride the "Transports publics lausannois", TL, Metro M2 (underground) during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Monday, July 6, 2020. In Switzerland, from Monday 6 July, people aged 12 and over must wear a mask in all public transport, trains, trams and buses, as well as in cable cars and boats.[AP/ Laurent Gillieron]
The White House is again rejecting calls for a national mask-wearing mandate.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows says in an appearance on "Fox and Friends" Monday morning that the president sees the issue as a "state-to-state" matter.
He says that, "certainly a national mandate is not in order" and that "we’re allowing our local governors and our local mayors to weigh in on that."
New Jersey’s Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has said he’d like to see a national strategy on the coronavirus, including a mask requirement. He says his state is seeing "small spikes in reinfection" from residents coming back from Florida, South Carolina and other virus hotspots, and the U.S. is "as strong as our weakest link right now."
Vice President Mile Pence has also rejected the idea of a national mandate, saying that’s up to governors and local health officials.