Enlarge / VANCOUVER, Oct. 24, 2020 - A voter wearing a face mask is seen outside a polling station during the provincial election day in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Oct. 24, 2020. (credit: Getty | Xinhua News Agency) As US coronavirus cases dramatically shoot up to the highest peak yet in the pandemic, prominent public health experts are calling for a nationwide mandate to wear masks to try to drag down disease spread. The call comes as violent clashes over masks continue in places that already have face-covering requirements. In a Wednesday interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association, top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci called for a national mandate.