President Donald Trump will not require people to wear masks in the midst of COVID-19. In a Fox News interview, Trump said he is prioritizing people’s freedom to live without masks.
READ MORE: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms orders masks to be worn in public
“No, I want people to have a certain freedom, and I don’t believe in that,” Trump said.
Trump’s anti-mask position appears to be a common sentiment among Republicans who refuse to be held accountable for the public’s health.
While many businesses are operating with strict rules for social distancing and mask wearing, Trump is encouraging people to contradict mandates from the Center of Diseases Control and Prevention.
Many republicans are following in the president’s footsteps. Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia suspended all local mask mandates and filed a lawsuit on Thursday after Atlanta leaders required masks for all in the city.
“[The mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms] does not have the legal authority to modify, change or ignore Governor Kemp’s orders,” the lawsuit read, according to The New York Times.
READ MORE: Americans should wear face masks in public, White House recommends
Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, another Republican who asked the president to declare this pandemic an “act of God” in order to seek fundIng for the oil and gas industry, also refused to make masks a top priority. Stitt was the first governor to test positive for COVID-19.
“You can’t pick and choose what freedoms you are going to give people,” Stitt said, according to the New York Times.
There is hope that some Republican states will follow CDC guidelines and require mask usage for all residents. On Thursday, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, made it a requirement for people to wear masks.
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