Posts tagged with "Volunteer workers"

May 22, 2020

He is not an outlier; he is a role model and leader for Americans and the world. Yet he refuses to wear a face mask during a global pandemic.

On May 21, as he prepared for a visit to the Ford plant in Michigan that has reconfigured its operations in order to manufacture ventilators—using an all-volunteer workforce that follows strict COVID-19 protocols—the president stirred controversey over his stance on PPE (personal protective equipment, Forbes reported.

President Trump has a “moral” and “legal responsibility” to wear a mask while he tours the Ford plant, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel wrote in an open letter.

Nessel, whose letter was made available Wednesday, wrote that the mask wearing policy “is not just the policy of Ford, by virtue of the Governor’s Executive Orders. It is currently the law of this State.”

Nessel also cited the size of Michigan’s coronavirus outbreak (53,000 cases, nearly 5,000 deaths) and Trump’s recent exposure to White House staffers who tested positive for the virus as reasons for the president to wear a mask.

A Ford spokesperson said on Tuesday, May 19, that the company requires masks on its premises, but added “the White House has its own safety and testing policies in place and will make its own determination,” leaving the door open as to whether Trump would wear a face covering.

When asked about this by reporters Tuesday, Trump said, “Where it’s appropriate, I would do it, certainly.”

He also said it depended on the situation. “Am I standing right next to everybody or am I spread out? And also…you know, is something a hospital? Is it a ward?…What is it exactly? I’m going to a plant. So we’ll see.”

Research contact: @Forbes