Coronavirus Watch: Face masks should have 3 layers

The World Health Organization updated its guidance on face masks, calling on the general public to wear them and saying that, based on new research, fabric masks should consist of at least three layers of different material.

The outer layer should be a water-resistant fabric, the inner layer should be water-absorbent, and the mid layer should act as a filter, the WHO said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already recommends wearing face masks in public.

It's Friday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's the most significant news of the day, as of 2 p.m. ET:

• Authors of a major study on the drug hydroxychloroquine have asked the scientific journal The Lancet to retract their study, saying they are no longer confident in its findings. 
• The economy unexpectedly gained 2.5 million jobs in May after record losses the prior month as states began allowing businesses shuttered by the coronavirus to reopen and many Americans returned to work. The unemployment rate fell to 13.3% from April's 14.7%, which was the highest since the Great Depression.
• The Trump administration said Friday it will let Chinese airlines operate a limited number of flights to the U.S., backing down from a threat to ban the flights.
• More than 1.8 million people have tested positive for the virus in the U.S., and more than 108,000 have died. Worldwide, more than 6.6 million people have tested positive for the virus, and 392,000 have died. See the numbers in your area here.

Do you have questions about the coronavirus? Submit them through this form. Many of you have asked questions about the future of your pensions amid the economic fallout of the pandemic.

Paste BN's Nathan Bomey notes that, before this crisis even began, state pension plans across the country were already more than $1 trillion short of the funding needed to pay their future obligations to retirees, according to retirement experts at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Facing an immediate gap in state revenue of $650 billion over the next three years, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, officials may postpone pension contributions and slash future benefits for teachers, police officers, firefighters and state workers. Read more on what that means for you here.

As always, thank you for subscribing! We appreciate you trusting the Paste BN Network with this important information.

– Grace Hauck, breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck