John Kerry.Photo: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty
John Kerryspoke out in support of face masks on Thursday while defending himself from a widely circulated photo that appeared to show him without a face mask on during a recent flight.
The controversy began on Wednesday, when conservative news writer Neil McCabe posted a photo on Twitter that he said showed Kerry, a former presidential candidate and the current special presidential envoy for climate, with his mask off while seated on a flight.
“Biden’s @ClimateEnvoy John Kerry, took off his mask as he settled into a book in his first-class seat just before takeoff today on an @AmericanAir flight Boston to DC,” McCabewrote, adding, “He was not eating, nor drinking.”
PresidentJoe Biden— whonamed Kerry, 77, as his climate envoy in November — has touted face mask as a central component of controlling the spread of the virus, in contrast to his predecessor.
Biden himself is often photographed wearingtwo face coverings: a surgical mask worn over an N95 mask.
“When a president doesn’t wear a mask, or makes fun of folks like me when I was wearing a mask for a long time, then people say, ‘Well, it mustn’t be that important,’ " Biden said in an October town hall.
In response, Kerrytweetedthat “if” the mask was taken off his face, it was only for a moment.
“Feels like there’s some St. Patrick’s day ‘malarkey’ afoot on Twitter. Let’s be clear: If I dropped my mask to one ear on a flight, it was momentary,” the former secretary of state and Massachusetts senator wrote Thursday. “I wear my mask because it saves lives and stops the spread. It’s what the science tells us to do.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for American Airlines said that no one on board Kerry’s flight complained about his lack of a mask, nor did the crew observe that he wasn’t wearing one.
“Masks are required on board our aircraft,” the airline’s statement read. “Our team works diligently to make sure customers are wearing masks properly as they travel with us, and flight attendants pass through the cabin several times during flight to ensure compliance.”
Kerry has beenvaccinated against COVID-19,though masks are stillrecommendedfor those who are inoculated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announcedfully vaccinated peoplecan safely hold small, indoor gatherings without a mask.
In public spaces such as airplanes, however, health officials urge even vaccinated people to continue wearing face masks and maintaining physical distance to protect those who have not been vaccinated or those who are immune-compromised.
source: people.com
