Good morning. I'm James Holman from the Washington Post and this is the Daily

202 for Tuesday, March 31st. In today's news, states surge medical capacity to prepare for the influx of

coronavirus victims as more governors issue mandatory stay-at-home orders.

Retail workers in their 60s, 70s and 80s worry about their health, but

they need the money. And the coronavirus has killed its first democracy. But first, the big idea. Should we all be wearing masks?

That simple question is under review by officials at the highest levels of the US government

and has sparked a grassroots pro-mask movement.

But there is still no consensus on whether widespread use of facial coverings would make a significant difference,

and some infectious disease experts worry that masks could lull people into a false sense of security

and make them less disciplined about social distancing.

In recent days more and more people have taken to covering their faces,

although it remains a scattershot strategy driven by personal choice,

the government does not recommend it. That may change.

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

are considering altering official guidance to encourage people to take measures

to cover their faces during the coronavirus pandemic. That's according to a federal

official on the inside who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity because this

is a matter of ongoing internal discussion and nothing has been set in stone.

This person says

CDC guidance on masks remains under development. They say that new guidance would

make clear that the general public should not, repeat not, use medical masks especially the surgical and n95 masks that our first

responders need and that are in desperately short supply. Instead the

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