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 (25) 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 (26) health organizations recommended that people (27) were not sick didn’t need to wear masks or cover their faces. (28) , it is now proved that face masks can work (29) . They point to countries like Singapore and South Korea, where people wear masks and reported infection rates are lower.

Ten-day Chinese Traffic Jam (24th August, 2010)

Motorists in China are experiencing a traffic jam from hell. Thousands of drivers have been stuck in their cars for ten days on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway just outside the Chinese capital. The gridlock started on August 14th when roadworks began. The bad news is that the chaos will continue for another month. The tailbacks stretch back for 100km. The situation has been made worse by dozens of cars breaking down or overheating. Around 400 traffic police have been assigned to patrol the jam to make sure tensions don’t rise too far. The horrendous snarl-up is the result of the explosion in the number of cars on Chinese roads. As China becomes wealthier, more people are buying cars, thus causing more traffic problems.
Drivers trapped in the traffic jam know they have to be patient and sit for long hours in their cars. There are no showers for them to use and if they need to use a toilet, they have to lock their car and wander off to the nearest café. There are many complaints of local people taking advantage of the stranded motorists by charging them more than double prices for drinks and snacks. People are keeping themselves busy by playing cards or board games. Some have reported feeling homesick. One truck driver, Juang Shao expressed his frustration over the situation: “I’ve missed my daughter’s birthday and the food in my truck has probably turned into soup,” he said. He said he was worried his truck could be stuck in the traffic forever.