That's why we are urgently calling for a simple, common-sense, practical and inexpensive way to protect Americans during the coronavirus pandemic: Masks for All. Our goal must be to make high-quality masks available on an equitable basis to every single person in this country at no cost. Next week, one of us will introduce legislation to do just that.
The science is clear: Wearing a mask not only saves lives, but the widespread use of masks will get Americans back to work sooner and reunite families who have stayed apart. Hopefully, this legislation will even help counter some of the confusion and misinformation over mask-wearing.
As the United States reports a record numbers of new cases, research about mask-wearing from around the world and here in the United States shows that masks play a vital role in decreasing the spread of Covid-19, because when the virus can't easily find hosts, it dies out. South Korea, one of the more successful countries to date, began the process of procuring high-quality masks in late February and provided them affordably to its citizens by partnering with pharmacies across the country. Additionally, Taiwan, the Czech Republic, Germany, Vietnam and dozens of other countries have demonstrated that as mask wearing became commonplace in public, Covid-19 cases were contained. And only when the virus is contained can the economy finally go back to normal.
University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projects that widespread use of masks in the United States could save 40,000 lives by November 1. And mask-wearing can help slow our growing economic crisis as well: One estimate says that widespread use of masks could be worth up to $1 trillion to our economy by preventing shutdowns and getting people back to work earlier.
Unfortunately, it is absolutely clear that we cannot wait for this administration to take action. So, as a first step, the Masks for All legislation will instruct the Trump administration to acquire and deliver three high-quality, reusable masks to every person in the country with the best available designs that can be manufactured.
They would be delivered via US mail, made available free locally at testing sites, post offices and pharmacies, as well as distributed in collaboration with state and local governments to homeless shelters, jails, detention centers and other congregate-care settings.
Priority would, of course, continue to go to frontline health care workers and to essential workers, as well as communities hardest hit by the coronavirus.
In addition, as health care professionals see new shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), this legislation directs the government to produce and provide the needed surgical masks and N-95 respirators to all health providers in the country.
To make enough high-quality, non-medical masks for all Americans, this legislation also requires the administration to invoke the Defense Production Act, which was written explicitly for these purposes. This
