If someone had told you last year that we’d be in the middle of a raging pandemic in 2020 that has taken over two hundred and seventeen thousand American lives, but one party will spread the disease, you probably wouldn’t have believed them — but here we are. And the anti-masking leader of that party is the president of the United States.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex) was politely asked by a CNN reporter on Thursday to wear a mask while talking outside of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing room to the press, claiming he did not have to do so because he was standing six feet apart from the journalists. But, that’s not how it works when an individual is indoors. According to CDC guidelines, it recommends that people both socially distance and wear masks to minimize the risk of infection while at indoor gatherings. It’s not hard to Google the guidelines, but maybe that was too difficult for the Texas senator.
Watch:
Sen @tedcruz says “no” he won’t put his mask on when asked politely to by pooler @kristin__wilson, citing how he’s talking to the TV & CDC guidelines are to stand 6ft apart
CDC guidelines are to social distance & wear a mask particularly indoors as it’s more risky than outdoors pic.twitter.com/0VxazegyQI
— Ali Zaslav (@alizaslav) October 15, 2020
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Similarly, Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) made appearances at Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing this week after both Republicans tested positive for the coronavirus on Oct. 2nd, and that was just hours after news broke that the president and first lady Melania Trump had contracted the disease. Barrett’s nomination event turned out to be a super-spreader. Chief of staff Mark Meadows also refused to put on a protective face mask while talking to reporters this week.
Donald Trump has repeatedly mocked Democratic nominee Joe Biden for wearing a mask amid the raging pandemic. Trump was even mocking mask-wearing at his rally in NC today. Trump has also mocked social distancing while holding super-spreader rallies to largely maskless crowds. Donald Trump — who tried to claim to be a wartime president due to the disease — surrendered to the coronavirus without putting up a fight. So, your friend in 2019 was right.
Featured image via Gage Skidmore/Flickr, under Creative Commons license 2.0