US President Donald Trump ruled out a national mandate requiring people to wear face masks despite record rises in new coronavirus infections across the United States.

In an interview with Fox News that will air on Sunday, Trump said: "No, I want people to have a certain freedom and I don't believe in that. No, and I don't agree with the statement that if everybody wear a mask, everything; suddenly, it all disappears."

US president says he will not consider a national mandate requiring face masks despite record rise in new infections.

He added: "Everybody was saying don't wear a mask and all of a sudden everybody's got to wear a mask and, as you know, masks cause problems, too. With that being said, I'm a believer in masks, I think masks are good."

US economy 'will drop 6.6 percent in 2020'

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted that the US economy would shrink 6.6 percent this year, pounded by the coronavirus and the lockdowns meant to contain it.

The forecast is actually an upgrade from one the IMF made last month when it foresaw the American economy contracting 8 percent in 2020. But the lending organisation warned that the US economy faces downside risks from a resurgence in COVID-19 cases.

Source: Aljazeera