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Fauci wears a mask as a 'symbol' of what 'you should be doing' amid coronavirus pandemic

Nicholas Wu
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – Top infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that he wears a mask as a "symbol" of what "you should be doing" during the coronavirus pandemic. 

"I want to protect myself and protect others, and also because I want to make it be a symbol for people to see that that's the kind of thing you should be doing," Fauci told CNN.

When asked by host Jim Sciutto if his wearing of a mask encouraged their use, Fauci acknowledged masks aren't "100% effective" but are a "valuable safeguard" and part of "respect for another person." 

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he walked around his Washington neighborhood and saw it was "very clear" that many people were wearing masks. 

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Wednesday that the city would start its phased reopening of businesses as early as Friday, though face coverings would still be required in public. 

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Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says most people in his neighborhood wear protective masks.

More:Masks spark public judgment, ridicule among customers as businesses reopen

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Fauci noted Washington "still has a considerable number of cases." 

President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden have sparred over the wearing of masks.

More:Joe Biden strikes back at President Trump for being 'critical' about face masks

Trump called a reporter "politically correct" for wearing a mask during a news conference in the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday and shared a post on his Twitter feed mocking Biden for wearing a face mask when he observed Memorial Day. 

Biden called Trump a "fool."

Wearing a mask "projects leadership. Presidents are supposed to lead, not engage in folly and be falsely masculine," Biden said on CNN

Contributing: Savannah Behrmann

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