NEW YORK (AFP) – Hollywood actor Robert De Niro wants Americans to wear face masks. So do actor Morgan Freeman and Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow.
The Hollywood stars are fronting a campaign calling on people in the United States to cover their faces to stop the spread of Covid-19.
The donning of masks has become politicised in the country, with many Americans refusing to wear them, following initial conflicting advice about their effectiveness.
US President Donald Trump finally yielded to pressure and was seen wearing one in public on Saturday (July 11) for the first time, even after White House staff tested positive for the virus.
His reluctance came as White House experts leading the fight against the virus have recommended wearing face coverings in public to prevent transmission.
As part of the Mask Up America campaign, Bigelow has helped produce eight 30-second television ads in which different actors implore Americans to cover their faces.
Bigelow, 68, won the Oscar Best Director for war drama The Hurt Locker (2008) and is the only woman to have won the award.
"When you wear a mask, you have my respect. Because your mask doesn't protect you, it protects me," says Freeman, 83, in one of the videos. "I wear my mask to protect you… Mask up, America."
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