VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued recommendations on April 3 for people to wear a cloth face covering in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, especially in areas of significant community spread. Settings might include grocery stores and pharmacies.

The CDC further states: “It is critical to emphasize that maintaining social distancing (6 feet) 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.”

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

City-County Health District Administrator Theresa Will says, “These face coverings should be considered additional, voluntary public health measures that can help prevent asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individuals from spreading the virus. We should think of cloth face masks as another tool in the toolbox, not a replacement for current physical distancing and hand hygiene recommendations.”

Residents who wish to donate or are in search of cloth face coverings can contact City-County Health District at 701-845-8518.

As a reminder, anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 needing to seek medical care should contact their healthcare provider before arriving at the clinic or use the COVID-19 Risk Assessment Survey. For questions related to COVID-19, the North Dakota Department of Health hotline is available seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and can be reached at 1.866.207.2880.

City County Health District Offices are in Valley City. City County Health submitted the article to NewsDakota.com