Name: Russia enacted a national mask mandate. Trump still won't do so, though it could save an estimated 63,000 lives.
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Russia enacted a national mask mandate. Trump still won't do so, though it could save an estimated 63,000 lives.

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Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.Redeem nowGet a daily selection of our top stories based on your reading preferences.Something is loading.Global coronavirus cases have hit .In the last week, Russia reported , its highest seven-day average yet. Cases there topped 17,000 for the first time ever Friday. The US, meanwhile, tallied more than 83,000 new cases on Friday — the country's highest ever.Russia's rising cases prompted Rospotrebnadzor, the government's health and consumer rights agency, to issue a national mask mandate .The stipulate that citizens must wear masks on public transportation, including in taxis, as well as in parking garages, elevators, and any place where more than 50 people can gather, . They also call for restaurants and entertainment values to close between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m..Rospotrebnadzor head Anna Popovaza said additional lockdowns aren't on the table for now. Russia at the start of the pandemic — movements of citizens in Moscow were even monitored using a . President Vladimir Putin reopened manufacturing and construction businesses on May 11, and Russia's non-essential retail and restaurants .&nbsp;"If we do not cope with this phase, then we will talk about additional restrictions," Popovaza .Russia's order is a reversal from Putin's previous approach to controlling the virus's spread; for the most part, he has left Russia's response in the hands of its 85 regional governors.According to , Putin said this summer that Russia's strategy was superior to the US's, despite their similarities, since Russia's federal and regional authorities worked together."I can't imagine someone in the government or regions saying we are not going to do what the government or president say," Putin told state TV stations in June.He also rebuked the politicization of the pandemic in the US, saying, "It seems to me that the problem is that group — in this case party — interests, are put above those of society's as a whole, above the interests of the people."Russia currently has the fourth-highest number of coronavirus infections worldwide: over 1.5 million. The US has nearly six times that: 8.7 million cases.About 26,000 Russians have died from the virus, compared to 225,000 Americans, but than it has reported.&nbsp;A majority of US states, including Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania, have a statewide mask rule, but the US as a whole does not have a mandate in place. ( have mask requirements in only parts of the state, while South Dakota has no rule in place at all.)&nbsp;The US has faced an uphill battle in increasing the adoption of masks. Face coverings have come to be seen by some, , as a political statement. Protesters have rallied against mask mandates, saying they violate personal freedom.But Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently said that the looming winter months may require , since experts expect the virus to spread more readily as people gather indoors."If people are not wearing masks, then maybe we should be mandating it," Fauci said in an on Friday.Universal mask wearing is a measure the US needs to "double down" on, he added, along with hand washing and social distancing."They sound very simple. But we're not uniformly doing that and that's one of the reasons we're seeing these surges," Fauci said.Fauci didn't specify whether he was suggesting mask mandates at a national or state level, however.Research has shown that face coverings can and save lives.A from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predicted that the US's total death count by the end of February — more than double the number of COVID-19 deaths the nation has seen so far.But if 95% of the country wore masks, &nbsp;might be saved, the model found."Expanding mask use can be one of the 'easy wins' in the United States," Christopher Murray, director of the institute, said in a recent briefing. "It can both delay the reimposition of social-distancing mandates and can save many, many lives."Aria Bendix contributed reporting to this story.Editor's Note: A change in the underlying data between the acceptance and publication of from IHME researchers detailing their latest model suggests 63,000, not 130,000, lives would be saved if 95% of Americans wore masks. The headline and text of this article have been changed to reflect that .Sign up for notifications from Insider! Stay up to date with what you want to know.Subscribe to push notificationsAn icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.Keep readingIt indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.Redeem nowGet a daily selection of our top stories based on your reading preferences.Something is loading.Global coronavirus cases have hit .In the last week, Russia reported , its highest seven-day average yet. Cases there topped 17,000 for the first time ever Friday. The US, meanwhile, tallied more than 83,000 new cases on Friday — the country's highest ever.Russia's rising cases prompted...

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Russia enacted a national mask mandate. Trump still won't do so, though it could save an estimated 63,000 lives.

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