,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #ffc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #bi1
 #bjbj,mr4 ,toomey 7for himself and ,mr4
 ,bennet7 submitted the following       
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,health1 ,education1      
,labor1 and ,pensions  ,,resolution     
,supporting mask-wearing as an important
 measure to limit the spread of the     
,coronavirus ,disease #bjai             
7,,covid-#ai74  ,whereas the ,centers   
for ,disease ,control and ,prevention   
believes that the spread of the         
,coronavirus ,disease #bjai 7referred to
 in this preamble as ,,covid-#ai7 occurs
 primarily through respiratory droplets2
 ,whereas research shows that shedding  
of the virus that causes ,,covid-#ai can
 occur #b to #c days before the onset of
 symptoms2 ,whereas research conducted  
long before the ,,covid-#ai pandemic has
 shown the utility of wearing masks in  
providing protection against the        
transmission of respiratory infections2 

,whereas various types of cloth masks1  
including masks made of cotton1 gauze1  
and other fabrics1 reduced infection    
rates among health care workers and     
others during the ,spanish ,flu pandemic
 of #aiah and the ,manchurian plague of 
#aibj through #aiba1 and were used by   
health care workers and others to       
protect against tuberculosis in the     
#aicjs and #aidjs2 ,whereas a study     
published on ,july #i1 #bjjh1 that      
tested the efficacy of homemade face    
masks in reducing respiratory infections
 among the general population concluded 
that any type of general-use mask is    
likely to decrease viral exposure and   
infection risk on a population level2   
,whereas a study published on ,may #bb1 
#bjac1 that attempted to test the       
protective value of homemade masks      
compared to commercial masks in an      
influenza pandemic concluded that       
homemade masks would be better than no  
facial protection at all2 ,whereas1 on  
,april #c1 #bjbj1 the ,centers for      

,disease ,control and ,prevention       
recommended that the people of the      
,united ,states wear nonmedical1 cloth  
masks in public places2 ,whereas the    
,centers for ,disease ,control and      
,prevention has found that cloth face   
coverings fashioned from household items
 can substantially reduce the dispersion
 of exhaled droplets and provide        
acceptable breathability2 ,whereas a    
survey conducted by the ,centers for    
,disease ,control and ,prevention from  
,may #aa through ,may #ac1 #bjbj1 found 
that #gf percent of adults support      
mask-wearing outside of the home2       
,whereas a study published by the       
,centers for ,disease ,control and      
,prevention on ,july #ag1 #bjbj1 found  
no secondary cases of ,,covid-#ai in    
#aci mask-wearing clients of #b         
symptomatic mask-wearing hair stylists  
with confirmed cases of ,,covid-#ai2    
,whereas the benefit of each additional 
cloth mask worn by members of the public
 has been estimated to be between #c1jjj

 and #f1jjj due to the ability of masks 
to slow ,,covid-#ai transmission and1 as
 a result1 to decrease mortality        
relating to the virus that causes       
,,covid-#ai2 and ,whereas a study       
published in ,,bmj found that           
mask-wearing by both infected           
individuals and the contacts of those   
individuals to be #gi percent effective 
in reducing ,,covid-#ai transmission3   
,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the        
,senate-- 7#a7 recognizes the importance
 of mask-wearing in limiting the        
transmission of the ,coronavirus        
,disease #bjai 7referred to in this     
resolution as ,,covid-#ai72  7#b7       
recognizes that medical-grade masks     
should be reserved for use in health    
care settings and among vulnerable      
populations throughout the ,,covid-#ai  
pandemic2  7#c7 recognizes that         
mask-wearing should be coupled with     
other measures recommended by the       
,centers for ,disease ,control and      
,prevention and ,state and local public 

health agencies1 including frequent     
handwashing and physical distancing1 to 
further reduce the risk of ,,covid-#ai  
transmission2 and  7#d7 encourages the  
people of the ,united ,states to wear   
masks in indoor public places1 in       
accordance with the guidelines          
established by the ,centers for ,disease
 ,control and ,prevention1 at times when
 physical distancing is not allowable to
 protect against unknown transmission of
 ,,covid-#ai4