Cuomo urges Trump to issue executive order requiring masks

by Justine Coleman - 06/29/20 2:20 PM ET

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) urged President Trump on Monday to issue an executive order requiring masks in public in the U.S.

The New York governor called on Trump during his press conference to follow in others states’ footsteps and direct “everyone to wear a mask” through a executive order.

Cuomo also questioned “how we’re at this point as a nation” where “we still haven’t done the simple easy minimal step of saying you must wear a mask when you’re in public.”

NY Gov. Cuomo says the president should “lead by example” and “put a mask on it” https://t.co/6lteLzMNG6 pic.twitter.com/VHCfqUteRN

— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 29, 2020

The governor pointed to New York’s order to wear a mask issued two months ago and said that states that were previously “recalcitrant” are starting to declare similar orders, “doing a 180.”

“Let the president have the same sense and do that as an executive order,” he said.

The New York governor also said that Trump should “lead by example” and put a mask on.

“To the president I say today if you want to help stop COVID-19, then they should start telling the people of this country the truth,” he said. “And the truth starts with how large a problem this is and how real a threat COVID[-19] is.”

Other political leaders have called for Trump to issue a nationwide mask requirement, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that it was “definitely long overdue.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of masks in public but does not mandate it.

The country’s number of daily identified new cases has been rising, reaching beyond 40,000 on three days last week, according to The New York Times data.

The U.S. has confirmed more than 2.5 million COVID-19 cases across the country, and has had 125,928 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

At least 18 states require masks statewide, while the majority have some masks requirements throughout the state. Four states do not have known mask requirements: Montana, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin, according to Masks4All, a volunteer organization that advocates for mask wearing.