Pence’s wife says the VP was not aware of mask policy during visit at Mayo Clinic [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Mike Pence’s wife, Karen Pence, defended the vice president’s action for not wearing a mask during a visit at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota last Tuesday.
• The Mayo Clinic said that the vice president was informed about the hospital’s mask policy before his arrival.
• Pence stressed that he decided not to wear a mask since he was being regularly tested for the virus and that he wanted to personally approach health care workers to thank them.

Karen Pence, Vice President Mike Pence’s wife, defended the action of her husband for not wearing a mask during a visit at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota on Tuesday.

Mrs. Pence appeared on Fox News Channel on Thursday morning, saying that the vice president was then unaware of the hospital’s policy. She explained that her husband adhered to the advice of medical officials and did not intend to offend anyone.

“As our medical experts have told us, wearing a mask prevents you from spreading the disease. And knowing that he doesn’t have COVID-19, he didn’t wear one,” Mrs. Pence said. The vice president is tested for the virus on a regular basis, or at least once a week, like other White House officials.

 “So, you know, someone who’s worked on this whole task force for over two months is not someone who would have done anything to offend anyone or hurt anyone or scare anyone,” she emphasized.

In a tweet, the Mayo Clinic said it had informed the vice president of its masking policy before his arrival; but then the tweet was deleted. In a later response, the clinic reiterated that it cascaded its masking policy to Pence’s office.

Footage of Pence’s visit on Tuesday showed that he was mask-less while meeting with a recovered COVID-19 employee. He also went to a lab where Mayo conducts the virus testing and attended a roundtable discussion on the clinic’s testing and research programs.

On his decision not to wear a mask, Pence stressed that he has been regularly tested for the virus.

“As vice president of the United States I’m tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus… And since I don’t have the coronavirus, I thought it’d be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible health care personnel, and look them in the eye and say ‘thank you.’”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages Americans to wear face masks in public especially if social distancing measures are difficult to observe.

Source: AOL.com