Pence tours Mayo Clinic without mask to say 'thank you' to researchers while flouting safety protocol
Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the Coronavirus Task Force, is under fire for visiting the Mayo clinic without wearing a protective mask, defying hospital rules. The Minnesota-based clinic has said every staff, patient and visitor needs to wear a mask on its premises. The protocol ensures safety, according to them.
What is worse, the facility claims it had informed Pence about the policy. "We made the vice-president and his staff aware of our policy regarding masking," a Mayo Clinic spokesperson told POLITICO.
The clinic had also reportedly posted a tweet, "Mayo Clinic had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today," only to take it down after 30 minutes. A video captured Pence speaking with the staff and some COVID-19 patients, all of whom were wearing a mask, barring him.
Defending himself, Pence said he did not need to wear a mask because he has not tested positive. "As vice president of the United States I am tested for the coronavirus regularly, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus," he told reporters when he was questioned about his appearance.
He said he was following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When the CDC issued guidelines about wearing a mask, they recognized it could prevent people infected with coronavirus from passing on the virus to others, he said.
However, CDC's guidelines recommend face coverings in public settings, such as grocery stores and pharmacies, where it is hard to maintain social distancing measures. Face masks can reduce the risks of transmitting the virus even from infected individuals showing no symptoms.
He said his visit was a part of his gesture to thank researchers. "And since I don't have the coronavirus, I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to be here to be able to speak to these researchers, this incredible health-care personnel and look them in the eye and say 'thank you'," the vice president said.
Pence's visit comes after Mayo clinic and the University of Minnesota announced that they were ramping up coronavirus testing. Joining him was the commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration Dr Stephen Hahn. "He set a good example as a public health official," a senior administration official told POLITICO.
This is not the first time Pence has stepped out without a mask. Recently, he chose to visit the Air Force Academy and a GE Healthcare site without wearing one.
And according to Axios, the Vice President has never used a facial protective covering while traveling across the country. Earlier, a White House official from Pence's team tested positive for the virus.
Even President Trump has never worn face masks during press briefings and other events. Earlier this month, he is reported to have said: "I just do not want to wear one myself. It is a recommendation. They recommend it."
"I do not know. Somehow, I do not see it for myself," he said during an April 3 coronavirus task force briefing.