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US Health Officials Encourage Face Masks at Big Gatherings

VOA News

   U.S. health officials urged organizers of large gatherings that involve
   shouting, chanting or singing to "strongly encourage" attendees to wear
   face masks, following more than a week of protests during which many
   attendees did not wear masks.

   The new recommendations Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and
   Prevention are part of long-awaited guidelines from U.S. health
   officials about how to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

   The guidelines also advise people to bring their own food and drinks to
   cookouts, use hand sanitizer after touching public surfaces and choose
   businesses where staff are wearing face masks.

   For large gatherings, the guidance says planners should consider
   several strategies, including reducing capacity, reconfiguring parking
   lots and restricting attendance to those who live in the local area.

   The recommendations come after more than a week of protests across the
   United States following the death of George Floyd, a black man in
   police custody in Minneapolis, and as President Donald Trump plans to
   restart holding campaign rallies.

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