Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.), the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, took to Twitter to post a photo where she encouraged people to wear masks amid the continued spread of the coronavirus.
On Friday, Cheney posted a photo of her father wearing a mask and included a message from him that read, “Dick Cheney says WEAR A MASK.” The post also included the hashtag, reading, “Real men wear masks.”
Dick Cheney says WEAR A MASK. #realmenwearmasks pic.twitter.com/iBfVoa7ypL
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) June 26, 2020
Shortly after Cheney shared her post, it went viral on the social network as many people spoke out to shed light on public health concerns which they declare should not be based on partisanship.
One tweet read, “For those of you still thinking asking people to wear a mask is political, check out noted progressive activist (checks notes)…Vice President Dick Cheney advocating for mask use.”
See some of the reactions below:
For those of you still thinking asking people to wear a mask is political, check out noted progressive activist (checks notes)…Vice President Dick Cheney advocating for mask use. #ScaleHealth https://t.co/bWzCurBSVt
— ScaleHealth (@ScaleYourHealth) June 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/AaronBlake/status/1276606761970139137
I don't say this much, but Dick Cheney is 100% right. https://t.co/rYU8W5oWh8
— Matt Lesser (@MattLesser) June 26, 2020
Cheney’s announcement comes just days after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) offered similar advice as states began seeing significant spikes in coronavirus cases.
Despite masks seemingly being politicized, Rubio has opted to focus on the health-related aspects of masks as he urged people to use the protective measure as a form of mitigation for the coronavirus.
While attending lunch with Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday, Rubio stressed the importance of wearing a mask as coronavirus infection rates rise in 35 states.
“Everyone should just wear a damn mask, like you guys are, like I am right now,” Rubio said, later adding, “I would just encourage everyone — that’s what I said in there — to sort of become informed of the nuances of how your state is reporting.”
While there were previously presumed contradictions about mask policies at the beginning of the pandemic, top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci revealed the only reason masks were not previously required was due to the possibility of shortage.
Frontline workers were prioritized to ensure they would have the necessities needed to combat the pandemic, as previously reported on IJR.
As of Saturday morning, there are more than 2.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States. The number of single-day cases also reached a record high on Friday with the state of Florida reporting nearly 9,000 by itself. The death toll also stands at 127,649 as it continues to rise.