Texas Democrat Receives Backlash After Calling To Revive Mask Mandate Despite Not Wearing One on a Plane to Washington
A Texas Democrat received backlash from the netizens after calling on the lone star state to reinstate the face mask mandate.
Donna Howard, the Democrat lawmaker, took to Twitter to share her thoughts on "universal mask-wearing" to prevent the spread of COVID-19, arguing that Texas needs to "follow the science" behind the issue, New York Post reported.
However, Howard was photographed without a face mask on the plane that flew the delegation to Washington, DC last week.
Texas Democrat Urges State to Reinstate Face Mask Mandate
In her tweet, Donna Howard shared a KUT Austin article about the American Academy of Pediatrics's updated guidance for schools, recommending that all students over two years old, along with staff, wear face masks, regardless of their vaccine status.
"Texas needs to change the course and allow for universal mask-wearing to prevent the spread of the highly contagious delta variant," the Texas Democrat noted.
Howard also underscored that mask-wearing in Texas should be done because children under 12 years old are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines.
Netizens slammed the Texas Democrat for her claims, as they said that Donna Howard was not wearing a face mask while onboard an aircraft on her way to Washington.
Several netizens posted pictures of the Texas Democrat and other legislators without face masks and replied on Howard's thread.
One Twitter user asked if the Texas Democrat was photoshopped "into this "Super Spreader" event."
Another user even cropped the photo to emphasized that Howard was not wearing a mask while on the plane.
Some users chose harsh words and called the Texas Democrat a "hypocrite" and "dumb."
Kind of coming off as a hypocrite.
— Craig Conner (@drcraigconner) July 21, 2021
It was not the first time that Donna Howard was criticized during her trip to Washington. Last week, she posted a photo of her wet laundry hanged from a shower curtain rod at a hotel room to show the "sacrifice" of the Democratic legislators from Texas. Many netizens reacted negatively to the photo.
Donna Howard, Among the Texas Democrats who Tested Positive for COVID
The backlash Howard received from urging face mask mandates came as she was among the six Democrats from Texas who tested positive for COVID-19 after their trip to Washington to prevent the Republican-backed voting bill.
State Representative Gene Wu acknowledged that they got complacent because they felt safe, Fox News reported.
"We [Texas Democrats] had no positives for months, and we got sloppy," Wu further noted, emphasizing that they were all fully vaccinated since March.
Wu added that the Texas Democrats who tested positive for COVID-19 did not suffer anything beyond mild symptoms.
Apart from the six Texas Democrats who tested positive for COVID-19, an unidentified White House official and a communication staffer for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also contracted the notorious disease.
The White House has denied using the term "super spreader" for the reception meeting with the Democratic lawmakers.
A Cleveland Clinic noted that a super-spreader event is when there is a greater amount of transmission than would be expected in a large event.
This article is owned by Latin Post
Written By: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Texas Democrats in D.C. Test Positive for COVID-19 - From KVUE
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