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[Page S4596]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 663--SUPPORTING MASK-WEARING AS AN IMPORTANT MEASURE
TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19)
Mr. TOOMEY (for himself and Mr. Bennet) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions:
S. Res. 663
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
believes that the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019
(referred to in this preamble as ``COVID-19'') occurs
primarily through respiratory droplets;
Whereas research shows that shedding of the virus that
causes COVID-19 can occur 2 to 3 days before the onset of
symptoms;
Whereas research conducted long before the COVID-19
pandemic has shown the utility of wearing masks in providing
protection against the transmission of respiratory
infections;
Whereas various types of cloth masks, including masks made
of cotton, gauze, and other fabrics, reduced infection rates
among health care workers and others during the Spanish Flu
pandemic of 1918 and the Manchurian plague of 1920 through
1921, and were used by health care workers and others to
protect against tuberculosis in the 1930s and 1940s;
Whereas a study published on July 9, 2008, 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 level;
Whereas a study published on May 22, 2013, 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
all;
Whereas, on April 3, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention recommended that the people of the United
States wear nonmedical, cloth masks in public places;
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 breathability;
Whereas a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention from May 11 through May 13, 2020,
found that 76 percent of adults support mask-wearing outside
of the home;
Whereas a study published by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention on July 17, 2020, found no secondary
cases of COVID-19 in 139 mask-wearing clients of 2
symptomatic mask-wearing hair stylists with confirmed cases
of COVID-19;
Whereas the benefit of each additional cloth mask worn by
members of the public has been estimated to be between $3,000
and $6,000 due to the ability of masks to slow COVID-19
transmission and, as a result, to decrease mortality relating
to the virus that causes COVID-19; and
Whereas a study published in BMJ found that mask-wearing by
both infected individuals and the contacts of those
individuals to be 79 percent effective in reducing COVID-19
transmission: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes the importance of mask-wearing in limiting
the transmission of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (referred to
in this resolution as ``COVID-19'');
(2) recognizes that medical-grade masks should be reserved
for use in health care settings and among vulnerable
populations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic;
(3) 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 agencies,
including frequent handwashing and physical distancing, to
further reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission; and
(4) encourages the people of the United States to wear
masks in indoor public places, in accordance with the
guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, at times when physical distancing is not
allowable to protect against unknown transmission of COVID-
19.
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