[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the 11th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump appeared in public wearing a navy blue mask. This is the first time he has shown such an appearance in public since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), having consistently refused to wear a mask.
According to Bloomberg News and others, President Trump visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland to meet wounded soldiers and frontline medical workers. He appeared in a hallway of Walter Reed wearing a navy blue mask. All members of his entourage were also seen wearing masks alongside President Trump.
Before departing from the White House to Walter Reed Medical Center that day, President Trump told reporters that he would wear a mask at the medical center, including when he was with medically vulnerable soldiers, saying, "I like wearing a mask in the appropriate places," according to foreign media reports.
President Trump had previously refused to publicly wear a mask since the outbreak of COVID-19. Despite continuous emphasis on mask-wearing by U.S. health authorities, he did not accept it, stating he did not want to be seen in the media wearing one. However, he was spotted wearing a mask unofficially during a visit to the Ford Motor Company plant in Michigan in May.
This mask-wearing was anticipated on the 9th when President Trump announced it. In an interview with Fox News, he said, "I will be going to Walter Reed to meet soldiers and COVID-19 medical staff," and "I plan to wear a mask when entering Walter Reed." He added, "If wearing a mask makes you comfortable, I think it's good to do so," and "You are in a hospital, and I think it is very appropriate (to wear a mask)."
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