Coronavirus face masks: America reacts and rebels
As the coronavirus lockdown carries on in many American cities, one thing is clear: People have opinions about masks. President Trump said he won't wear one. Vice President Mike Pence skipped the mask when visiting the Mayo Clinic in April.
People are getting into fistfights at grocery stores, and police in Philadelphia were filmed dragging a man from a bus for not wearing a mask. The regulations for who must wear a mask in public varies state to state, and often city by city. People's attitudes about masks are even more varied — and they are often fraught with anger, resentment or fear.
Here, a demonstrator pours water on his mask as he pretends to drink from a bottle of bleach during a rally in San Diego, California, on May 1, 2020.
Trump won't wear a mask
After several White House staffers tested positive for COVID-19, West Wing officials confirmed to CBS News that staffers are being directed to wear face masks at work, unless they're at their desks.
President Trump has been reluctant to wear a mask, even as others, such as the Secret Service person seen here, wear them. He noted in an April 3 press briefing that he would not cover his face, despite recommendations from the CDC that urge Americans wear cloth face masks in public.
An act of protest
A man in face mask walks past a mask-less demonstrator outside Los Angeles City Hall on May 1, 2020. Rallies like this one have popped up across the country as citizens express frustration with stay-at-home orders.
"Give me gains or give me death"
Protesters did not wear masks in Clearwater, Florida, as they demonstrated in favor of reopening gyms and other businesses on May 11, 2020.
A different kind of mask
A demonstrator wears a plague doctor mask at a protest in San Diego, California, on May 1, 2020.
Police officers in masks
Here, a San Diego Police Department officer adjusts his medical mask as protesters, some masked, some not, hold banners and chant against California's stay-at-home orders on April 26, 2020.
Some protesters do wear masks
In Boston, Massachusetts, this demonstrator wears a mask that says "Spiritual Gangsta" at a protest against — among other things — a law enforcing masks in public.
Make America masked
At the same demonstration in Boston, this protester wore a mask advertising his political affiliation.
Flouting a new law
A Massachusetts state police officer looks on while protesters violate the governor's May 1 executive order requiring residents to wear masks in public.
Handmaid's mask
At a "ReOpen Colorado" rally in Denver, a protester wore a yellow surgical mask with a costume styled after the handmaid's uniform from the Hulu series "The Handmaid's Tale."
May Day protests
A mariachi band — some wearing masks, some not — prepare to perform near Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's home. The group was a part of a May Day protest calling on Garcetti to support a rent moratorium during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Masked I-do's
This Virginia couple wore masks to their wedding ceremony that followed social distancing guidelines on May 9, 2020.
Visiting GE Healthcare
Vice President Mike Pence visited a GE Healthcare manufacturing facility in Madison, Wisconsin, on Tuesday April 21, 2020. He did not wear a mask during the tour.
Mayo Clinic visit
Pence also did not wear a mask on an April 28 visit to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In a subsequent statement, the vice president said, "I didn't think it was necessary, but I should have worn the mask at the Mayo Clinic."
Visiting General Motors
Two days later, on April 30, the vice president wore a mask while visiting General Motors in Kokomo, Indiana.
Addressing the media
A mask-less Mr. Trump speaks to the media as he departs Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, en route to Arizona where he'll visit Honeywell International, an N95 mask manufacturing facility. Some reporters wear masks, others do not.
No mask at the mask factory
On May 5, 2020, one week after Pence's much-discussed visit to the Mayo Clinic, Mr. Trump toured an N95 mask factory in Phoenix, Arizona. The president did not wear a mask.
A commemorative mask
During the visit, Honeywell International CEO Darius Adamczyk gifted the president a commemorative N95 mask. Neither men wore a mask during this presentation.
Socially distanced seating
Honeywell's manufacturing workers wore masks and sat 6-feet apart as they waited to listen to Mr. Trump speak during his visit to the factory.
Even hospitals can't agree
On April 17, 2020, Providence St. John's Medical Center held a press conference to announce that a patient, a police officer with COVID-19, had recovered from the virus.
Medical staff wore surgical masks to the media event.
Earlier that week, that same hospital suspended 10 nurses after they refused to care for COVID-19 patients unless they were provided with N95 face masks.
Air Force Academy graduation
Though many colleges and universities canceled their in-person commencements due to the ongoing pandemic, the Air Force Academy held their graduation festivities early on April 18, 2020.
Cadets wore masks and stood 8-feet apart. Pence gave the commencement address.
Socially distanced salute
This year marks the first time a military academy has held an early graduation ceremony since WWII.
Masks required?
A sign announcing that customers must wear face masks to enter is posted on the door of a Juice Bar in Long Beach, California. Two customers, without wearing masks, enter the store.
No mask for a beard trim
This masked barber at Orlando's Hair Godz Studios trims a man's beard on the first day barber shops in Florida were permitted to reopen, on May 11, 2020.
Texas relaxes restrictions
Texas Governor Greg Abbot announced nail and hair salons in the state could reopen. This woman wore her mask on a visit to Studio A Salon in Houston on the first day it was open, on May 8, 2020.
No mask, no service
In Rhode Island, according to state guidelines, customers are required to wear masks when patronizing businesses. However, those businesses are not required to enforce this policy by refusing service to those without masks.
This restaurant in Newport has chosen to enforce the state's guidelines by refusing to allow unmasked customers to enter the establishment to pick up to-go orders.
No exceptions
A sign on a wine store door in New York emphatically states that customers without masks will not be served.
A crowded United Airlines flight
Passengers and employees wear masks on a crowded United Airlines flight in Newark, New Jersey bound for San Francisco, California.
Travel during the pandemic
A woman wearing a face mask uses hand sanitizer in the arrivals area of Los Angeles International Airport.
Flower shops open in California
In Los Angeles, masked customers pass close to one another on a sidewalk in the downtown flower district. The city has stipulated that any retail businesses that choose to open, including florists, are only to operate on a curbside pickup basis.
In a daily briefing on May 6, 2020, Mayor Eric Garcetti addressed concerns regarding social distancing in flower markets. He said city representatives are giving businesses three chances to button up their compliance before the police are summoned to shut down operations.
Shop owner pleads with customers to wear masks
One shop in Los Angeles' Skid Row flower district displayed this sign outside, urging customers to wear masks when picking up their orders.
Another view of the crowded flower market
This was the hectic scene in the Los Angeles flower district May 8, 2020, two days before Mother's Day.
Masks on while working in Nevada
Restaurant dining rooms in Nevada were permitted to reopen May 9, 2020, albeit with occupancy restrictions and a mandatory mask policy for servers. Casinos remained closed during the first phase of reopening the state.
Masked bears enjoy a night on the town
These life-sized stuffed bears are the only ones dining at this Manhattan restaurant. The bears are complying with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's April 15 executive order that all people must wear a mask in public when social distancing is not possible.
Defiant businesses ordered to close
On May 11, 2020 — Mother's Day — a crowd of mostly unmasked people gathered at C&C, a restaurant in Castle Rock, Colorado. C&C opened for full service in defiance of state rules banning in-person dining. The next day, county health department officials ordered the restaurant to close indefinitely.
Masks on, masks off
A man wearing a protective mask around his chin sells ice cream to masked customers during the coronavirus pandemic in New York City.
With theaters closed, Florida drives in
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis began rolling back stay-at-home orders in Florida on May 4, 2020. But so far, movie theaters remain closed. The exception: Drive-in theaters, like this one in Ocala, can continue to operate, with occupancy restrictions.
Picking up concessions
Wearing masks is not required for customers at the Ocala Drive-In. But protective equipment, including masks, is mandatory for employees.
Half capacity
Half of the parking spaces are roped off, leaving 10-to-12-feet of distance between each vehicle.
Florida golf courses open
Many Florida golf courses reopened April 29, 2020, after being closed for over a month during the COVID-19 pandemic.
These golfers in Miami got in some practice swings on the first day back — some wore masks, others did not.
Retail stores reopen in Florida
A shopper wears a protective mask at the Island Cotton Company store in Stuart, Florida. The shop owner is seen without a mask.
Restaurant patios open
In Florida, restaurants with outdoor seating were the first to allow customers to dine on-premises. The server wears a mask, the customers do not.
Canine PPE
In Arlington, Virginia, a woman walks her dog, Jada, as the coronavirus outbreak continues. Jada suffers from chronic eye infections and wears goggles to keep contaminants from irritating her eyes.
Studies have shown that the human eye is susceptible to COVID-19 particles.
Funerals in the time of COVID-19
On May 12, 2020, mourners wore masks at a funeral for a Massachusetts man who died from COVID-19.
A defiant barbershop
Karl Manke, 77, owns a barbershop in Owosso, Michigan. Manke refuses to close his shop's doors to customers, defying an executive order from Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Here, Manke speaks to a crowd of reporters and Owosso locals outside his shop. Majority of those present did not wear masks.
County judge helps Manke stay open
An armed militia has been standing guard outside of the barbershop. On May 11, 2020, a Shiawassee County judge declined to enforce a temporary restraining order that would have forced the business to close.
Masks at a press briefing
Journalists wore masks and asked the president about his administration's response to the pandemic in a Rose Garden news conference on May 11, 2020.
President Trump abruptly ended the briefing after an exchange with CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang and CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins.
Masks in the White House
Here, Jared Kushner is seen wearing a surgical face mask as he leaves the Rose Garden press briefing.
Senate back in session
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wears a mask as he walks through a hallway at the U.S. Capitol on May 11, 2020. The Senate is back in session after short "pause" during the coronavirus outbreak.
Discord in Sacramento
Protesters (without masks) gathered in Sacramento on April 22, 2020, to chant and wave signs in opposition to California's stay-at-home order.
My mask with Marilyn
A man wearing a face mask walks past The Forever Marilyn statue in National Harbor, Maryland. Marilyn, skirt forever airborne, also wears a mask.
This mask isn't helping anyone
As more people wear masks to protect themselves and others from the spread of COVID-19, discarded masks — like this one on a New York City subway platform — have become an all too frequent sighting.
Masks for sale
Handmade face masks are displayed outside of a store in San Antonio, Texas. Infighting between state and local officials in Texas has caused confusion over who is and isn't required to wear a face mask.
"We have masks"
A sign in a store window in Arlington, Virginia, advertises the availability of masks, gloves and hand sanitizer — three items that have become emblematic of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Not your average day at the beach
These two women in masks got a jump on the crowds by heading to Venice Beach in California, two days before the beach officially reopens for active recreation.
Beaches in Los Angeles county opened on May 13 for a limited range of activities. Parking lots, boardwalks and bike paths remain closed during the first phase of reopening. Sunbathing is also prohibited. Running, walking, surfing and swimming are permitted, but masks must be worn when not in the water.
Welcome to Starbucks
A Starbucks employee wears a face shield and mask as she makes coffee in Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.