Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.

The USA is encouraging Americans to wear face masks. There has been a lot of talk about whether or not face masks are effective in helping slow down the ___(1)___ of the COVID -19 coronavirus. The government is set to encourage Americans to use homemade face covering like cloth masks, bandanas and scarves. At first, the WHO and ___(2)___ health organizations recommended that people ___(3)___ were not sick didn’t need to wear masks or cover their faces. ___(4)___, it is now proved that face masks can work ___(5)___. They point to countries like Singapore and South Korea, where people wear masks and reported infection rates are lower.