In Video, Mattis Urges Americans to Wear Masks

Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis is urging people to wear face coverings and work together in the ongoing fight against the coronavirus.

Mattis' hometown of Richland, Washington, released a public service announcement in which he pleaded for residents to follow the advice given by public health officials.

"Hello neighbors, I'm Jim Mattis. I'm here to talk about that nasty little virus, COVID," he said. "We got introduced to it about six months ago, and it's clear this little bugger is not going away on its own. We're gonna have to listen to Dr. Amy Person, our public health official. We're gonna have to work together on this to get our friends and neighbors back to work."

Mattis said it's important to keep our faces covered to help slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

"Get to phase two and start working back toward normal," he said. "So let's wear those face coverings and let's work together on this to beat COVID."

The first confirmed U.S. cases of the virus were in Washington, and it quickly popped up across the country. As of Wednesday morning, more than 2.4 million Americans have been sickened with the virus and 123,500 have died.

Washington has seen more than 30,000 cases and around 1,300 deaths.

• Study Says 80% of Coronavirus Cases Went Undetected in March
• Surging US Virus Cases Raise Fear That Progress Is Slipping