The United States government plans to send 100m cloth facial coverings to the aviation, transit and railway industries for passenger use.
US Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced the intention to distribute over 86m coverings will to airports around the country, while a further 9.6m would be distributed to transit agencies and Amtrak.
The facial coverings were secured by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as part of a collaborative effort with The US Department of Transportation and Department of Homeland Security.
“This Administration is committed to protecting our people and reopening the economy; distributing these facial coverings will help boost public confidence as we begin to resume our normal lives,” Chao said in a statement, 17 June.
A full list of countries from which travellers are banned from entering the United States can be found here.
As of 17 June 2020, the United States had recorded the most cases of coronavirus of any country in the world, with over 2.2m cases. The country has reported 119,317 deaths due to Covid-19.
