Congressman covers face with scarf to gavel in ‘pro-forma’ House session

A Democratic congressman covered his face with a brown scarf to gavel the House of Representatives into session, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Virginia congressman Don Beyer wore a brown scarf that covered most of his face, in addition to gloves on Friday, the same day it was reported that half of Americans wore face masks while outside in the last week.

During long recesses of the House, pro-forma sessions occasionally take place and are generally gavelled in and out by a local congressman, without any legislative action occurring.

Mr Beyer wrote on Twitter that his daughter made him the scarf and that he felt it was important to lead by example.

“My daughter made this for me. It’s not my normal look but we are not living in normal times,” he wrote.

“Those who would lead must do first by example,” he tweeted.

Mr Beyer explained that by wearing the covering he followed the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention‘s (CDC) guidelines, which suggest using a cloth face covering to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

The CDC advises “the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.”

“Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure,” their guidelines state.

An ABC/Ipsos survey published on Friday, found that 55 per cent of Americans said that they wore a face mask or other face covering when they went outside in the last week.

The same survey found that 67 per cent of Democrats and 47 per cent of Republicans said that they wore a face covering when outside.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the chief infectious disease expert leading the US response, recommended that people use face coverings, in an interview last week.

“The better part of valour when you’re out and you can’t maintain that six-foot distance is to wear some type of facial covering,” he told Fox and Friends.

“An important point to emphasise though is that should never take away the availability of the masks that are needed for the health care providers who are in real present danger. So this is an addition to the physical separation, not as a substitute for it.”

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, upwards of 486,490 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached at least 18,002.