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The Trump administration is close to recommending that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public, a change in position that reflects new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms and new data suggesting the United States is not yet slowing the rate of infections. At a White House briefing Thursday evening, both President Trump and Vice President Pence said that new guidance on masks would be issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the coming days. (Goodnough and Sanger-Katz, 4/2)

In a draft document obtained by STAT, the CDC recommended that the public use homemade face coverings when in public, reserving higher-grade protective equipment like N95 masks for hospitals and health care workers, who have faced severe shortages in personal protective equipment as the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated through the United States. Such face coverings, according to the draft guidance, would not be intended to protect the wearer, but rather prevent the wearer from unknowingly spreading the disease when in public. (Facher, 4/2)

White House coronavirus task force officials have been considering whether to recommend that face coverings be routinely worn in public because of increasing evidence that infected people without symptoms can spread the virus, according to internal memos and new guidance provided to the White House by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Sun and Dawsey, 4/2)

The White House has been urging people without symptoms not to buy masks, hoping to ease heavy purchases of the products that have created shortages. On Feb. 29, Vice President Mike Pence said, “Let me be very clear -- and I’m sure the physicians who are up here will reflect this as well: The average American does not need to go out and buy a mask.” (McKay and Armour, 4/2)

Officials have spent days debating the planned recommendation, worried about the risk of sending mixed messages on public health, draining health workers' supplies and giving Americans a false sense of security. Experts have cautioned that homemade masks are insufficient to protect the wearer from contracting the coronavirus. (Diamond, 4/2)

The White House's coronavirus response coordinator on Thursday cautioned that a looming advisory encouraging Americans to use masks or face coverings to help prevent spread of the virus should not lull people into a "false sense of security." Deborah Birx said during a daily briefing that officials are still reviewing data about the benefits of having individuals wear masks when they go outside, but that any final guidance should only be treated as an "additive" piece to existing social distancing guidelines. (Samuels, 4/2)

The discussions on face masks came as the White House moved aggressively to defend its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly its efforts to speed the distribution of ventilators and protective equipment needed by medical professionals. (Miller and Stobbe, 4/3)

To wear a face mask or not? The advice has been confusing. In China, Hong Kong, and Singapore, the general public has been encouraged to wear masks to prevent getting or spreading the novel coronavirus. But the World Health Organization only recommends wearing a mask if you’re taking care of a person suspected of having the virus. (Reddy, 4/2)

President Donald Trump made fewer false claims than usual at Thursday's coronavirus briefing, ceding the floor to administration officials for extended periods and trading his usual inaccuracy for some vague musings and boasts. Trump did, however, offer some more medical advice that is not endorsed by experts, this time claiming that thick scarves make for more effective protective masks than masks themselves. He also repeated his exaggeration that he had cut off travel from Europe. (Dale and Lybrand, 4/3)

We’ve rounded up a variety of mask tutorials, from medical professionals to crafters, from no-sew to advanced, so that you can make your own mask when you absolutely must leave the house. Many of them include free templates in a variety of sizes for children and adults. When it comes to tips for wearing them, the World Health Organization recommends cleaning your hands before putting on a mask and making sure that there are no gaps between your face and the mask. (Boone, 4/2)

Like many Americans across the country, Wenqiong Xue has been fanatically making face masks for two weeks, using ripped bedsheets and a sewing machine that she dusted off from a closet in her Boston area house. But the homemaker in Medfield, Massachusetts, is more than just a mask maker -- she has become a mask advocate, long before President Donald Trump's coronavirus task force is expected to recommend that Americans begin wearing face coverings in public. (Jiang, 4/3)