Joint Statement on CDC Guidance to Wear Cloth Face Masks

Boone County and its Office of Emergency Management, the City of Harrison, the North Arkansas Regional Medical Center, and the Harrison Regional Chamber of Commerce jointly encourage all citizens to abide by the following advisory from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

CDC now recommends 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 recommended cloth face coverings 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. For more information go to www.cdc.gov

The CDC continues to study the spread and effects of the novel coronavirus across the United States. They 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. That means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity, for example: speaking, coughing, or sneezing. It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus.