McConnell's comments are in stark contrast to the approach adopted by President Donald Trump, who has mostly refused to wear a mask in public despite guidance from public health agencies urging people to do so.
Trump mocked a reporter for wearing a mask on Tuesday at a White House press conference and called it "politically correct." And on Thursday, the president shared a tweet from a conservative columnist at the Federalist arguing that using face masks represented a "culture of silence, slavery, and social death.".
Trump briefly wore a face mask during a visit to a Ford manufacturing plant in Michigan last week, but said he didn't want the press to see it.
A survey from the Democracy Fund and the UCLA Landscape Project showed 84% of respondents said they wore a mask in public, USA Today reported, an indication that support for mask-wearing stretches across party lines.
Around 71% of those who were somewhat likely or very likely to approve of the president said they were likely to wear a mask in a recent Politico/Morning Consult poll
UK
Australia
France
Germany
Russia
India
Canada