Shortly after California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) ordered all citizens of his state to wear masks outdoors or in public places, actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said that anyone who makes it political is an “absolute moron.” ”
“This is 100% the right move,” Schwarzenegger tweeted. “This will help us beat this terrible virus. The science is unanimous — if we all wear masks, we slow down the spread and can reopen safely. It’s not a political issue. Anyone making it a political issue is an absolute moron who can’t read.”
This is 100% the right move. This will help us beat this terrible virus. The science is unanimous – if we all wear masks, we slow down the spread and can reopen safely. It’s not a political issue. Anyone making it a political issue is an absolute moron who can’t read. https://t.co/N0FmCwDU5w
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) June 18, 2020
In a statement on Thursday, Newsom said that masks would be required in public places and outdoors in response to the rising number of cases.
“Our numbers are going up, not going down. Hospitalization numbers are just starting to creep back up, and I’m very concerned by what we’re seeing,” Newsom told Los Angeles’ ABC7. “We think the most impactful thing we can do, short of going back to a stay-at-home order, is wearing face coverings when we can’t practice physical distancing.”
Newsom made no mention of the fact that California recently went through a wave of protests and riots that the medical community largely supported.
The Department of Public Health said of masks, “The use of face coverings by everyone can limit the release of infected droplets when talking, coughing, and/or sneezing, as well as reinforce physical distancing.”
Though not as incendiary, Schwarzenegger’s denunciation of those politicizing mask requirements echo that of actor Matthew McConaughey, who lamented the fact that COVID-19 immediately transformed into a political issue.
“I could feel that this united purpose we all have as Americans to beat this enemy and this virus, that purpose got hijacked a bit by partisan politics,” McConaughey told Fox News in early May. “The narrative became, if you want to go to work, you’re on the far right. If you don’t go to work, and you want to stay home, you’re on the far left.”
“And now even the mask wearing is getting politicized, where if you want to wear a mask, you wear a mask, you’re a liberal. And if you don’t, you’re a conservative – and that’s just not true,” he added.
Rather than fight “two wars” against both each other and the virus, McConaughey said that Americans need to come together and fight the virus. “But if we try to fight the one against the virus, which is the one we should be fighting,” McConaughey said. “We’re gonna beat it.”
“Part of it is saying just that, to remind us that this is not about politics. It’s about us, the USA,” he added. “We’ve gotta take care of each other right now. We have a collective purpose. I mean, how many times do we have a unanimous, are we unanimously convicted of an enemy that we all want to beat? And look at how great Americans are when purpose comes to us in a crisis. Look at who we are in World War II.”
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