Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell encouraged people to wear face masks when they were in public to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
“There should be no stigma attached to wearing a mask,” McConnell said at an event in his home state of Kentucky on Wednesday. “And even among age groups that are least likely to either contract this disease or die from it, you could be a carrier. So I think what we all need to do is say, ‘OK, I’m going to take responsibility not only for myself but for others.’”
McConnell’s comments on the politically charged issue come as many states begin to allow businesses to reopen.
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President Trump has resisted wearing a facial covering and has mocked his Democratic rival Joe Biden for wearing one when Biden made his first public appearance in months on Memorial Day.
Trump also accused a reporter of trying to be “politically correct” when the reporter wore a mask while asking him a question at the White House.
Trump has said it’s unnecessary for him to wear a mask because they are meant to prevent spreading the virus to others, and he has not tested positive.
Trump did briefly wear a mask when he was out of sight of reporters during a visit to a Ford Motor plant in Michigan last week. He told reporters that he didn’t want to give them the “pleasure” of seeing him in a mask.
