Alabama's GOP lieutenant governor called mask rules an 'overstep.' Now he has tested positive for ..
Alabama’s GOP lieutenant governor called mask rules an ‘overstep.’ Now he has tested positive for the coronavirus.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/10/22/alabama-ainsworth-covid-masks-ltgovernor/
When Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) ordered a statewide mask mandate in July as coronavirus deaths surged to record levels, her second-in-command blasted the move.
“Wearing a face mask and maintaining social distancing are among the best ways to slow the spread of COVID-19,” tweeted Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth (R) at the time. “However, it’s an overstep that infringes upon the property rights of business owners and the ability of individuals to make their own health decisions.”
Now, as Alabama once again sees an alarming rise in covid-19, Ainsworth, 39, announced Wednesday that he is among the newly confirmed cases.
“After being notified this afternoon that a member of my Sunday school church group had acquired the coronavirus, I was tested out of an abundance of caution and received notice that the results proved positive,” Ainsworth said in a statement.
Ainsworth, who has also pushed back on mandatory business closures, is the latest Republican skeptic of government-mandated pandemic rules to test positive for the virus. Earlier on Wednesday, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie (R) published a heartfelt apology for not wearing a mask to a White House event last month linked to more than a dozen coronavirus cases. Christie later spent seven days in an intensive care unit battling covid-19.
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