Health officials have pleaded with the public to wear masks to limit the spread of the virus, but the issue has become politically divisive in the United States unlike many other countries that have seen far lower rates of infection and death.
![AUSTIN, TX - JULY 07: A medical worker explains paperwork to a patient at a COVID19 testing center on July 7, 2020 in Austin, Texas. Patients have their temperature and pulse checked before being swabbed. Along with Florida and Arizona, coronavirus cases in Texas have spiked recently. (Photo by Sergio Flores/Getty Images)]({"default":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16EjAQ.img?h=416&w=799&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f","size3column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16EjAQ.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f","size2column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16EjAQ.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f"} "U.S. Struggles With Coronavirus Amid A Surge Of New Cases - 2020 Getty Images")
Seven months into the pandemic, President Donald Trump wore a mask for the first time in public when he visited a Washington D.C.-area military medical center on Saturday. Trump had previously refused to wear a mask in public or ask Americans to wear face coverings, saying it was a personal choice.
Many Americans still refuse to wear a mask, which health experts say help stop transmission of the virus that has killed more than 134,000 Americans.
![Slide 1 of 110: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 08: Paramedics are seen at the North Melbourne Public Housing tower complex on July 08, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. Further lockdown measures for residents in metropolitan Melbourne or the Mitchell shire will come into effect from 11:59 Wednesday 8 July. Under the new lockdown restrictions which will be in place for six weeks, people will only able to leave home have for exercise or work, to buy essential items including food or to access childcare and healthcare. Victorians cannot gather in groups of more than two or their household group, school holidays will be extended for at least a week. Retail can remain open and markets are permitted to open for food and drink only. Cafes, restaurants, pubs, clubs and bars are back to takeaway only. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)]({"default":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16syFC.img?h=416&w=799&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f","size3column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16syFC.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f","size2column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16syFC.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f"} "July 8 - Darrian Traynor/Getty Images")
![Slide 2 of 110: A municipal funeral home worker watches the live news showing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announcing his positive result of the COVID-19 test in Curitiba, Brazil on July 7, 2020. - Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro announced on Tuesday he had tested positive for the coronavirus but said he was feeling "perfectly well" and had only mild symptoms. (Photo by DANIEL CASTELLANO / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL CASTELLANO/AFP via Getty Images)]({"default":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16t4MY.img?h=416&w=799&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f","size3column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16t4MY.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f","size2column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16t4MY.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f"} "BRAZIL-HEALTH-VIRUS-BOLSONARO - Daniel Castellano/AFP via Getty Images")
![Slide 3 of 110: A doctor measures the temperature of woman during a house-to-house new coronavirus testing campaign, in Avircato, Bolivia, Tuesday, July 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)]({"default":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16syFt.img?h=416&w=799&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f&x=2300&y=1399","size3column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16syFt.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f&x=2300&y=1399","size2column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16syFt.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f&x=2300&y=1399"} "July 7 - Juan Karita/AP Photo")
![Slide 4 of 110: TOPSHOT - A man sits next to beds at a newly built hospital to treat Covid-19 coronavirus patients at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, in Mumbai on July 7, 2020. - India on July 6 became the country with the third-highest coronavirus caseload in the world, as a group of scientists said there was now overwhelming evidence that the disease can be airborne -- and for far longer than originally thought. India's major cities including New Delhi and Mumbai are suffering the most, and critics say not enough tests are being conducted -- meaning that many COVID-19 infections are likely to go undiagnosed. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP) (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Images)]({"default":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16sN52.img?h=416&w=799&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f","size3column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16sN52.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f","size2column":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB16sN52.img?h=416&w=624&m=6&q=60&u=t&o=f&l=f"} "July 7 - Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty Images")
Anti-mask activists organized a protest on Saturday at a grilled cheese restaurant and bar in Windermere, Florida, which is in Orange County about 12 miles (19 km) from Walt Disney World.
The restaurant, 33 & Melt, has become a focal point of tension after owner Carrie Hudson said she was not requiring customers to wear masks. County officials have mandated the use of masks in public since June 20.
During Saturday’s protest outside the restaurant, no customers wore face coverings. Agents from the state’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco arrived during the rally and served Hudson with a warning, according to a video.
“This is a virus that is very well contained,” said one of the demonstrators, anti-mask activist Tara Hill. “Everyone is responsible for their own health care decisions … We want our choices respected as well.”
Florida has posted record levels of coronavirus infections, with over 10,000 new cases five times in the last 10 days. In addition, more than four dozen hospitals in Florida reported that their intensive care units are full due to a surge in COVID-19 patients.
(Reporting by Octavio Jones, Deborah Lutterbeck and Njuwa Maina; Writing by Lisa Shumaker; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
(Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
