At a White House coronavirus task force meeting on Friday, United States President Donald Trump said that the government recommended that people wear masks, adding he will not wear one.

He said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was advising the use of cloth face coverings on a voluntary basis against the outbreak but did not recommend the use of medical grade masks. He said the guideline did not take the place of social distancing and he does not think he will "follow the guideline."

He also said he was directing Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to stop the export of masks and other medical equipment.

The number of people infected in the U.S. exceeded a quarter-million and the death toll climbed past 6,900, with New York state alone accounted for more than 2,900 deaths, an increase of over 560 in just one day. Most of the dead are in New York City, where hospitals are swamped with patients. About 15,000 people were hospitalized statewide, most of them in the city.