Vice President Mike Pence was seen wearing a protective face mask Thursday while touring a GM plant in Kokomo, Indiana, two days after he was sharply criticized for touring the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., without one despite being asked ahead of his visit to do so.
Pence, who leads the White House coronavirus task force, toured the factory to look in on the progress of ventilators, which are being manufactured there under the Defense Protection Act.
It was the first time the vice president was seen wearing a face mask in public, according to some reports.
Social media photo
Social media photo
Pence’s appearance in the mask was first reported on Twitter by CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller, who included a photograph of Pence alongside White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, who all wore facial coverings.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that people wear masks in public, but it is not a federal requirement.
The General Motors facility has a policy that requires all its workers to wear medical-grade protective masks during work shifts but has no such rules for visitors, according to a report by The Hill.
Reports say Pence was informed by the Mayo Clinic ahead of his visit Tuesday that he would be required to wear a mask to protect patients. The clinic’s strict new coronavirus policy applied to everyone who enters the facility.
After showing without one, however, the vice president was still allowed to be escorted around the facility, where he also met with a masked coronavirus patient on camera. As Pence made the rounds, he thanked workers, exchanged elbow bumps, and notably stood closer to people than the six-feet of distance recommended by the task force's social distancing guidelines.
Credit: AJC
The moment, which was broadcast on CNN, caused a furor among lawmakers and the medical community.
“It is a selfish display by Mike Pence disregarding Mayo Clinic policy by not wearing a mask,” tweeted Dr. Rob Davidson, executive director of the Committee to Protect Medicare. “As an ER doc, on behalf of the staff with whom I work, I think he owes an apology to every essential worker keeping things going and trying not to get sick.”
Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard tore into Pence about the matter on Twitter.
“In Pence’s visit to the Mayo Clinic, he was trying to show us how ‘tough’ he is — but just showed his arrogance, lack of concern for others, and vanity.”
Other voices on social media questioned whether Pence, who leads the administration’s coronavirus task force, set the right example for the country by not adhering to policies specifically designed to curb the spread of the virus.
"When I warned everyone in February that Pence doesn't believe in science and shouldn't be in charge of Covid response, I meant it," tweeted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York). "But I admit I did not have 'VP visits Covid patients without wearing a mask' on my bingo board."
Some also criticized the Mayo Clinic for not taking a stronger stance and enforcing the policy.
Pence defended his decision not to wear a mask during the visit, saying he was following the CDC guidelines.
“As Vice President of the United States I’m tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus,” Pence told reporters. “And since I don’t have the coronavirus, I thought it’d be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible health care personnel, and look them in the eye and say thank you.”
Second lady Karen Pence defended her husband on Fox and Friends Thursday, saying did not learn about the Mayo Clinic's policy until after his visit to the medical center.
“Wearing a mask prevents you from spreading the disease, and knowing that he doesn’t have COVID-19, he didn’t wear one,” she said. “It was actually after he left Mayo Clinic that he found out they had a policy of asking everyone to wear a mask.”
The Mayo Clinic contradicted this in a tweet about the episode, saying it “had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today,” which was deleted about 30 minutes later.
Earlier this month President Donald Trump also said he would not follow the CDC guidance to wear a face mask in public.
“I just don’t want to wear one myself, it’s a recommendation,” Trump said at the time.
There are many risk factors for the virus even for those who are regularly tested and appear healthy, according to health officials who cite faulty diagnostic testing and the potential for new infections between tests.
The latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta also recommend facial coverings especially because asymptomatic people could still potentially spread COVID-19.
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