As the coronavirus pandemic looks to bloom again in America, there is a heavy conversation occurring regarding whether or not Americans should be required to wear facial coverings to reduce the spread.
There is fairly clear scientific evidence that shows the wearing of masks to be effective against the spread of COVID-19, particularly in cases where the wearer is an unwitting host. But, in the land of the free, it can be difficult to get anyone to do something that they don’t want to do, particularly when that instruction is coming from their government. We Americans have always been a little distrusting of our governments, having birthed our nation from a place of righteous anger against the British.
But now, as the nation prepares for an ugly second wave of coronavirus, some elected officials are raising the alarm.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Monday called on President Trump to sign an executive order “directing everyone to wear a mask” and urged the president to “lead by example” by wearing one himself.
Cuomo told reporters on Monday that the Trump administration “should start telling the people of this country the truth” of “how real a threat COVID is” and called on him to take action.
The Empire State Governor’s statement was unmistakable.
“To start simply, the president can do two things. First, sign an executive order directing everyone to wear a mask,” Cuomo said, lamenting the absence of such an order.
“How we’re at this point as a nation and we still haven’t done the simple, easy, minimal step of saying you must wear a mask when you are in public,” Cuomo said.
President Trump has famously not worn a mask since the start of the global pandemic, prompting many within his base to eschew the idea as well.
