TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on Tuesday wrote on Twitter about his refusal to wear a mask while meeting with state Sen. Tina Polsky, who has breast cancer, saying he can’t “communicate clearly and effectively” with his face covered.
“Having a conversation with someone while wearing a mask is not something I find productive, especially when other options exist,” Ladapo stated in his first public remarks about the incident. “It is important to me to communicate clearly and effectively with people. I can’t do that when half of my face is covered.”
The statement didn’t include an apology, but explained his stance on masks, which he doesn’t believe are effective at slowing the spread of COVID-19, the virus that has killed more than 58,800 people in Florida. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many other health officials say masks do help stop the spread of the virus.
