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TOPLINE
Vice President Mike Pence drew criticism from the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic on Tuesday for flouting the clinic’s rules during an official visit and not wearing a face mask, raising questions about the White House’s inconsistent messaging during the pandemic.
Unmasked Vice President Mike Pence waves as he arrives for a visit to the Mayo Clinic Tuesday, April … [+]
AP Photo/Jim Mone
KEY FACTS
On an official tour of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Pence was the only person in public images from the visit who wasn’t wearing a face mask.
Pence did not shake hands with those in attendance and instead used elbow-bumps, CNN reported.
In a now-deleted tweet, the clinic subtly dug at the vice president’s lack of face covering by saying Pence was informed of the clinic’s policies before his visit. “Mayo Clinic had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today.”
In addition to the Mayo Clinic’s rules, the federal government’s own guidelines recommend that all Americans wear a face mask in public.
Pence was taking a tour of the nonprofit research center’s campus because the Mayo Clinic is developing a “moonshot” testing solution that could increase Minnesota’s testing capacity to 20,000 per day, the Associated Press reported.
Addressing the issue, Pence told reporters that he gets tested for the coronavirus regularly and since he doesn’t have the disease, “I thought It’d be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible healthcare personnel and look them in the eye and say thank you.”
Chief critic
Pence’s refusal to wear a mask raised questions about the White House’s commitment to following its own guidance to combat the coronavirus and prompted worry that the vice president was setting a bad example.
“When you don’t wear a mask, especially inside the Mayo Clinic, you are not being brave. You are showing that you think the rules don’t apply to you. And you are setting a dangerous example by ignoring experts,” Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), tweeted.
Key background
Both Pence and President Donald Trump have rarely worn face masks in public. In the same press briefing where the CDC announced its recommendation for face coverings, Trump himself said he wasn’t going to wear one.
“Well, I just don’t want to wear one myself. It’s a recommendation; they recommend it,” he said.
News peg
Though U.S. testing capacity has ramped up significantly since February where early missteps hampered the country’s ability to quickly test and isolate infected people, public health experts say millions of more tests are needed to open up the country. The White House released its official testing strategy on Monday, which puts the onus on states to come up with their own testing plans, but critics assailed the effort as “inadequate.”
Further reading
How To Stop Face Masks From Fogging Up Your Glasses (Forbes)
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