LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Many are confused over the CDC’s recommendations for whether the general public should be wearing face masks or not.
The confusion has to do with many factors. According to UK assistant professor of epidemiology Kathleen Winter, one of the main reasons is simply that there aren't enough face masks.
"The issue with face masks is there is just not an unlimited supply," Winter noted.
With that limited supply, Winter says we should be protecting our health care workers first.
“It is really a big ethical question, what is our expectation of health care providers to do their jobs when we cannot assure they have all the best tools available to protect themselves?” Winter said.
Now to make matters more confusing, the CDC may alter their guidelines and encourage the general public to protect their faces.
"The biggest reason why the CDC has said people do not need to be wearing masks is because it is most important that people that wear them are in health care settings. Even though it would be nice to have them everywhere, it is not necessarily going to reduce the overall transmission,” Winter explained.
Winter says the general public shouldn’t be at high risk because they should be staying at home and practicing social distancing.
She also says the CDC could continue to change and develop their guidelines as they find out more information about COVID19.
