Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is blasting Democratic leaders for not lifting mask mandates in schools after several celebrities were seen maskless while attending the Super Bowl.
During a speech on the Senate floor on Monday, McConnell said, “Americans who watched the Super Bowl saw rich celebrities having a grand time with hardly a mask in sight.”
“But under Democrats’ policies, first graders who watched that big maskless party last night, had to wake up this morning and cover their own faces,” he continued. “America’s classrooms seem to be the last place where local, state, and federal Democrats will accept that cost-benefit calculations exist and zero transmission is simply not possible.”
Watch the video below:
.@LeaderMcConnell: "Americans who watched the Super Bowl saw rich celebrities having a grand time with hardly a mask in site. But under Democrats' policies, first graders who watched that big maskless party last night, had to wake up this morning and cover their own faces." pic.twitter.com/SNKXJJj4wJ
— The Hill (@thehill) February 15, 2022
As the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded per day has fallen precipitously from record highs last month, nearly a dozen states announced plans to lift mask mandates. However, several governors said that their mask mandates for school would remain in place.
However, The New York Times notes that studies have not found that there is a clear benefit for universal masking in schools. But there have been several reports about the negative effects mask-wearing can have on children.
The 56th Super Bowl took place at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Sunday, and attendees were supposed to wear masks “except while actively eating or drinking, regardless of vaccination status.” However, several celebrities were seen without a mask while not apparently eating or drinking.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D), who has been responsible for mask mandates in the city, was also seen without a mask at the game.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky pushed back on the idea of dropping mask mandates in schools or areas with high or substantial levels of transmission. ABC News notes that about 99% of counties in the U.S. have high levels of transmission of the virus.
