A state lawmaker in Ohio said he will not abide by recommendations to wear a mask during the coronavirus pandemic because his face was made in the likeness of God and should not be covered.
In a video posted on Facebook, state Rep. Nino Vitale, a Republican, made the declaration of defiance against the guidance promoted by Gov. Mike DeWine.
“This is the greatest nation on earth founded on Judeo-Christian Principles. One of those principles as that we are all created in the image and likeness of God. That image is seen the most by our face. I will not wear a mask,” Vitale said.
“When we think about the image and likeness of God — we’re created in the image and likeness of God — when we think of image, do we think of a chest or our legs or our arms? We think of a face. That’s the image of God right there, and I want to see it in my brothers and sisters,” he added.
After his video was posted, Vitale did an interview with Newsweek in which he explained that his position on wearing masks received “far more positive responses than negative.” Vitale said that he did not order anyone to stop wearing masks but said he believes it steps on the individual liberties of people in Ohio to require masks to be worn.
“No one is stopping anybody from wearing a face mask,” Vitale said. “But, quite frankly, everyone else’s freedom ends at the tip of my nose. You’re not going to tell me what to do, and there’s a lot of people that feel that way. I realize there’s some basic things in life we put in place to have a society, a modern society, but we do have to be careful about how much encroachment we get on personal liberties and freedoms and that, to me, is the goal and the end duty of government is to protect personal liberty.”
Vitale also claimed that people who wear masks “got sick more often.” He added, “So, by putting a mask on someone, we’re actually putting them at a higher risk.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially did not advise wearing masks during the pandemic but said those who did wear them risk spreading the virus by adjusting masks. The agency has since changed its guidance to advise people to wear face coverings in public.
DeWine has not made wearing a mask mandatory while in public but strongly advised the state’s citizens to take the precautionary measure to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
