Former US President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn have urged their fellow Americans to "wear masks to save lives" amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The couple made the recommendation through their non-profit organization, The Carter Center, letting people know about their wellbeing and how they are keeping safe as members of the "high risk" category.

They did so by sharing a picture of themselves on The Carter Center's Twitter, setting a good example by wearing masks.

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The picture of the couple, who have recently celebrated their 74th anniversary, was captioned: "Please wear a mask to save lives."

And it was clear from reactions to the tweet that their 78,000 followers appreciated the message.

One person wrote: "God I love you both so much. You will always be my President. Thank you for always showing us that intellect, kindness and compassion can bring permanent positive change."

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A second remarked: "Stay safe

"You're both true humanitarians."

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But if you're still confused about whether or not it's a good idea to wear a mask, Bill Nye ( The Science Guy) has taken to the social media video-sharing app TikTok to demonstrate to people why face masks are important.

Face masks have become a hotly debated topic in the United States. While many opt to follow public health recommendations by wearing one in public in a bid to limit the spread of COVID-19, others see the coverings as an attack on individual freedom.

"Why do people in the scientific community want you to wear a face mask when you are out in public?" Nye asks in the video.

"Masks prevent particles from my respiratory system from getting into your respiratory system... Blocking the movement of air is an old trick." He went on, per CNN.

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Nye demonstrates how a homemade two-layer cotton face mask with a pipe cleaner sewn in the top to conform to his nose prevents a candle from being blown out even when he blows hard through the mask.

He then continues his experiment in a second video, showing how an N-95 also prevents the candle from being extinguished when Nye blows hard through it.

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“The reason we want you to wear a mask is to protect you. Sure,” Nye says towards the end of the video.

“But the main reason we want you to wear a mask is to protect me from you and the particles from your respiratory system from getting into my respiratory system.

“Everybody, this is a matter – literally – of life and death. And when I use the word ‘literally’, I mean ‘literally’ a matter of life and death.

“So when you’re out in public, please wear a mask.”

The Carters' message comes as President Trump was photographed wearing a facemask in public for the first time, despite previously stating that he wasn't going to wear one.

At the time of writing, the novel coronavirus has claimed 135,802 lives in the US alone per the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter urge Americans to wear face masks and save lives