This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
US President Donald Trump has finally donned a face mask in public, a move that marks a change of tone from his previous stance on the issue.
According to reports, Trump wore a mask for part of his visit to a Ford plant in Michigan last week, but took it off in front of the cameras.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel accused the president of acting like a 'petulant child' for flouting the measure.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said, 'I had one on in an area where they preferred it, so I put it on and it was very nice. But they said, 'Not necessary here,'
However, in a change of tone, Trump told Fox Business Network last week that he is 'all for masks.'
He even likened himself to the Lone Ranger, a fictional masked hero who fought outlaws in the American Old West.
But when the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in April began recommending people wear masks or cloth coverings in public to help stop the spread of the virus, Mr Trump told reporters he would not follow the practice.
Some media reports have suggested aides have repeatedly asked the president to wear one in public.
As the US records a new daily record of 66,528 coronavirus cases, Louisiana has become the latest state to order that masks be worn in public.
Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards has ordered the closure of bars across Louisiana and tightened restrictions on restaurants, which will no longer be able to serve customers inside.
Neighbouring Texas has recorded another rise of coronavirus infections, with a record 10,500 new cases recorded on Saturday.
The governor of South Carolina has issued an order banning sales of alcohol after 23:00 in bars and restaurants to try to stop the spread of the virus.
