As the world continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries around the world, meanwhile, have continued to implement various measures to curb the spread of the virus while they initiate efforts to open up their economies once again.
Physical distancing and proper hygiene remain to be essential recommendations. And while many countries have adopted wearing masks, the practice has become a divisive issue, however, in the United States. However, many businesses are taking a stand for the practice--even in tech.
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Facebook and Instagram want to remind you to wear face masks
The wearing of face masks should be a basic rule, but it seems this reminder needs more emphasis after even the President of the United States, Donald Trump, finally endorsed the practice after weeks of refusing to one when out in public.
Is Twitter joining the campaign very soon?
As such, Facebook and Instagram have started a small yet impactful campaign to urge people to not forget to wear their face masks in public places. The social networking platforms announced this on Thursday, July 2.
The two social media platforms are planning to release the new face mask notification on their respective news feeds, along with links to the website of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Currently, Facebook has a specific COVID-19 page for emergency information and pertinent details. Users can head over to this page for updates or to post their conditions for netizens to see.
From this point on, the company will expand this notification to other nations. Right now, it is being rolled out in the United States, The Verge reported.
Currently, the United States has been listed as having the highest number of coronavirus infections in the world with more than 2.6 million infections, John Hopkins University data said.
Alerting users
These alerts will let users know that it's time to wear a face mask. It will also offer them information about the latest data on the pandemic.
Along with this, Facebook has a very extensive plan to ensure that the coronavirus does not spread any further, especially with the proliferation of misinformation and "fake news" leading people to inaccurate sources.
These are being done in the middle of controversies that the social media company is facing. Recently, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg refused to take action on the presence of hate speech on the platform, and the company's refusal to act on complaints regarding these posts in the face of numerous racially motivated demonstrations around the country.
In response, some 500 Facebook advertisers decided to boycott the company as a platform for their ads. The CEO also refused to take action against posts by President Trump deemed to glorify violence during the protests after the death of George Floyd who died in the hands of Minnesota police. Protests across the world have been launched since then.
This stand by Facebook remains strong, saying that COVID-19 misinformation is an "extension of our existing policies to remove content that could cause physical harm."
