Rep. Steve Cohen suggested supporters of President Trump are responsible for the asymptomatic spread of the coronavirus across the country.
“But a lot of people don’t wear masks because they think Trump says you don’t have to, they think it’s macho, they think it’s MAGA, or something. And they’re being rude, and they’re spreading coronavirus when they’re asymptomatic to other people,” the Democrat said Tuesday. “I was hurt and shocked when I heard that Tennessee might be the next explosion point because our governor is not ordering people to stay at home, to wear masks, to close bars. We need decisive action from our governor. We need decisive action from our president. We are seeing people die.”
Dr. Deborah Birx, who is the White House coronavirus response coordinator, was in Cohen’s home state of Tennessee on Monday to advocate for a statewide mandate requiring face coverings, a push Republican Gov. Bill Lee has rejected.
“At this very moment, we can change the trajectory of the epidemic,” Birx said at the public health event. “I hope if they’re a Donald Trump supporter and live in rural Tennessee and they heard him say masks are important, I hope they’re listening to that.”
Current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urge people to wear face coverings when in public, wash their hands regularly, and practice social distancing when possible.
More than half of the states in the country have some form of mask mandate.
Birx estimated that nearly three-quarters of Tennessee’s counties have implemented face-covering mandates. Lee said again this week he has no plans to heed Birx’s warnings.
“Beyond the regions that currently have restrictions, that’s not a plan for us now. I’ve said from the very beginning of this pandemic that there’s nothing off the table,” Lee said. “I’ve also said that we are not going to close the economy back down, and we are not going to. But I appreciate their recommendations, and we take them seriously.”
Trump, who during the early days of the pandemic questioned the effectiveness of masks, has recently urged people to wear one when they cannot practice social distancing.
“We are asking everybody, when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask,” Trump said during a recent briefing with reporters. “Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact.”
“You know, Dr. [Anthony] Fauci said, ‘Don’t wear masks,’ and, now, he says, ‘Wear them,'” Trump previously said of masks.
Cohen warned that mixed messaging from Republican leaders is leading to dangerous consequences and praised Democrats who run larger, urban communities in Tennessee that have implemented mask mandates.
“It’s difficult for that to happen,” Cohen said. “Our governor seems to do what the president wants. He was one of the first states to reopen. He has not had a statewide stay-at-home order. He has exempted religious groups from many stay-at-home orders even that locals might have had. The local governments in … the six larger communities have done a pretty good job.”
