Sen. Rand Paul has floated an idea he thinks might assist the country in its road to recovery from the coronavirus pandemic: staff cruise ships and restaurants with survivors of COVID-19.
The Kentucky senator made the suggestion during a Virginia rally Sunday when campaigning for Nick Freitas, a congressional candidate for the state’s 7th District.
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“If I owned a restaurant, I’d have a whole wing for senior citizens or for anybody who is worried about getting sick, and I would say, ‘All my servers have already had it,’” he said. “If I had a cruise ship … everybody would have had the infection that works on the boat.”
Studies on immunity after being infected with the coronavirus appear to suggest people may experience limited immunity from it afterward. However, the science on the matter is limited.
Paul contracted the virus in March and has regularly insisted that he is immune to it. For this reason, he is regularly seen around Capitol Hill without a mask.
During the rally, the senator told the crowd that masks “don’t work.”
“I’m not telling you not to wear a mask,” he said. “The cloth masks … I’m just telling you the truth; they don’t work. Ninety-seven percent of viruses go through a cloth mask.”
Paul was citing a study from 2015 that measured the efficacy of cloth masks versus medical masks among healthcare workers. The study concluded that “penetration of cloth masks by particles was almost 97% and medical masks 44%.”
Still, studies have shown that mask-wearing is effective at reducing the spread of the coronavirus, as they are mainly used for the purpose of containing larger droplets, such as from coughing, sneezing, or talking. After observing different nation’s preventative measures, a June study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that widespread mask-wearing was the most effective tactic for reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Paul is not up for reelection this cycle.
