McConnell makes strong call for masks, saying there should be no stigma

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/505091-mcconnell-makes-strong-call-for-masks-saying-there-should-be-no-stigma?fbclid=IwAR3nEnlsLFqhOtMRIuNozd9A_OgmonA3gv_yFqVSBVowLrqLeBpMKcPu3t8


By Jordain Carney - 06/29/20 03:49 PM EDT


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Monday that wearing a mask cannot be stigmatized, calling wearing one in public part of the country's new routine amid the coronavirus pandemic.

McConnell, speaking from the Senate floor, said until there was a vaccine Americans needed to find a "middle ground" between widespread lockdowns and life pre-coronavirus.

"We need new routines, new rhythms and new strategies for this new middle ground in between. It's the task of each family, each small business, each employer and all levels of government to apply common sense and make this happen. To name just on example, we must have no stigma — none — about wearing masks when we leave our homes and come near other people," he said.

"Wearing simple face coverings is not about protecting ourselves. It is about protecting everyone we encounter," he added.

McConnell has encouraged mask wearing amid the coronavirus, including saying in Kentucky on Friday that they were a "way to indicate that you want to protect others."

His latest comments come as President Trump has come under scrutiny for routinely not wearing a mask and not encouraging Americans to wear a mask.

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