THE CULT's BILLY DUFFY Is Following New CDC Face Mask Guidelines

THE CULT guitarist Billy Duffy is following current Centers For Disease And Prevention guidelines by wearing cloth face coverings in public to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Earlier today, Duffy shared a Facebook photo of him donning a bandana over his face. He wrote in an accompanying caption: "Thinking of my Los Angeles friends.

"Message from @lapublichealth - Face coverings are an additional tool to help prevent the spread of #COVID19 to others, but are not a replacement for social distancing and washing your hands often.

"#facemask #facecovering #staysafe #everyone #covid19 #coronavirus #socialdistancing #keepwashingyourhands"

According to the CDC, we now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms ("asymptomatic") and that even those who eventually develop symptoms ("pre-symptomatic") can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms. This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity — for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing — even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms. In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

It is critical to emphasize that maintaining six-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus. CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.

The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

More than 1.3 million coronavirus cases have been reported worldwide and more than 76,000 deaths so far, putting public health systems and emergency services under immense pressure.

There is no known cure yet for the flu-like virus, which originated in China.

U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Americans to heed what federal, state and local officials are asking of them in order to curtail the spread and dampen the impact of the virus on the population.

The elderly — especially those with heart, lung and immunological conditions — are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus.