Mark Zuckerberg urges people to wear a mask to help 'keep this country open'

• Mark Zuckerberg is calling on people to wear masks to help halt the spread of the coronavirus.
• "Covid is spreading quickly again and masks help keep people healthy and keep the country open," Zuckerberg wrote in an Instagram caption accompanying a photo of him and his wife, Priscilla Chan, wearing masks.
• While researchers have found that universal masking could contain the outbreak and eliminate the need for lockdowns, the issue has become politicized, with some Americans claiming a mask mandate would infringe on their rights.
• Since March, Zuckerberg has spearheaded a thorough coronavirus response that included pledging $20 million to fight the virus.
• More recently, however, Zuckerberg has come under fire for how Facebook handled a post from Trump that seemed to urge violence toward protesters.

Mark Zuckerberg is urging people to wear masks to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The Facebook CEO posted a photo to Instagram late Tuesday night of him and his wife, Priscilla Chan, wearing face coverings.

"Please wear a mask," Zuckerberg wrote. "Covid is spreading quickly again and masks help keep people healthy and keep the country open."

Please wear a mask. Covid is spreading quickly again and masks help keep people healthy and keep the country open.

A post shared by Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck) on Jun 30, 2020 at 7:05pm PDTJun 30, 2020 at 7:05pm PDT

Zuckerberg's post echoes a growing sentiment nationwide that masks should be worn at all times. Researchers in the UK recently found that if people wore masks all the time, the outbreak could be contained and lockdowns would be unnecessary.

But the issue has become politicized in recent weeks, as some Americans claim mandated masks would infringe on their personal liberties. President Donald Trump has not worn a mask at campaign rallies and other public appearances and recently told The Wall Street Journal he believes some people are wearing masks to signify that they disapprove of him, not to prevent the spread of the virus.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday called for universal masking, saying that such a mandate was "long overdue" but has not been implemented so as not to "offend the president."

Zuckerberg has been outspoken for months about the coronavirus, spearheading a thorough virus response that included pledging $20 million to fight the virus, hosting live talks with public health experts on Facebook, making changes to the site to promote reliable coronavirus information, and banning a video that was circulating on both Facebook and YouTube called "Plandemic," which contained misinformation and widely debunked claims about the virus.

More recently, however, Zuckerberg has come under fire for Facebook's handling of violent speech on its platform after the company chose not to remove a post from Trump that seemed to threaten violence against protesters in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd. The decision angered employees, as well as scientists funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Major companies — including Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Verizon, and Ford — have since halted paid advertising on Facebook.