A well-known American Senator was photographed yesterday on an American Airlines flight to attend a get out the vote rally for Jon Francis in Hood County Texas. Nothing unusual about that, except for the fact Republican Senator Ted Cruz was not wearing his required face mask.
Masks are, of course, all the rage now after President Trump’s top infectious diseases expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, said that masks provided little protection from the coronavirus. Since then, however, the country’s leading immunologist has done an about-face, and now says people must wear masks to stop the spread of the disease.
Governments were afraid they did not have enough PPE
At the time of his initial verdict, Fauci said he was worried that front line medical workers would run out of personal protective equipment (PPE). He said he wanted to ensure they would have an adequate supply of masks.
The British government used a similar tactic, having its medical experts make the same statement as they rushed to secure more PPE for the National Health Service.
This conflicting message seems to have people confused about whether they should or should not wear a mask, and in the United States, the argument has pitted Republicans against Democrats. For a long time, President Donald Trump refused to set an example and wear a mask but has now seemingly realized the message that he was projecting to his supporters. Over the weekend, he decided to wear one.
Captured today at 10:45am — @TedCruz on a commercial flight, refusing to wear a mask. pic.twitter.com/h8DM7J4CMi
— Hosseh (@hossehenad) July 13, 2020
The majority of airlines in America have a face mask policy that says passengers must wear a mask on all flights. There are conflicting reports that say flight attendants are not allowed to confront passengers who take off their masks once aboard the aircraft.
However, passengers are allowed to remove the face coverings briefly while eating or drinking. In the photo, we can see that the 49-year-old lawmaker is drinking a cup of coffee.
Cruz was seen in DCA not wearing a mask
Cruz has been photographed before not wearing a mask while traveling, as is evident in this picture of him at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). This is despite a mandate by the Governor of Virginia requiring face masks to be worn and a statement on DCAs website which reads:
“In accordance with Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s mandate that protective face coverings be worn in public spaces, face coverings are required for everyone at Reagan National and Dulles International airports as of Friday, May 29, 2020. All airport employees, contractors and tenants have been required to wear face coverings inside the airport since May 18.”
“isn’t everyone supposed to be wearing masks including Senators?” https://t.co/OZi4oaeJJQ
From DCA’s website: “face coverings are required for everyone at Reagan National Airport” pic.twitter.com/GXOu9VX86N
— PoPville (@PoPville) June 12, 2020
There are still many who are outspoken about their desire not to wear a mask. The issue has been so politicized it seems people are unwilling to do what it takes to protect those around them, and ultimately themselves.
Jon Francis and Ted Cruz had a get out the vote event today in Granbury. Purportedly 250-300 people at the event. Based on this picture, not any visible masks and not really any social distancing, all at an indoor event. pic.twitter.com/xYDa4ZhXch
— Christopher Tackett (@cjtackett) July 13, 2020
What do you think of wearing a mask in public? Should Senator Cruz have been wearing one on his flight? Let us know in the comments.
