A third of Americans should wear masks, say U.S. officials

WASHINGTON, May 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. health officials suggested Americans who live in areas hardest hit by COVID-19 consider resume personal protection measures including wearing masks in indoor public spaces, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

The officials noted that a third of the U.S. population live in communities experiencing rising levels of new cases and hospitalizations, the article said.

Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the officials, said that the seven-day average of new infections in the country has climbed to about 94,000 per day, an increase of 26 percent over the previous week and a threefold increase over the past month.

Hospitalizations are also beginning to rise, with admissions increasing about 19 percent over the previous week, Walensky added.