House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has attacked the “selfishness” of Republican colleagues who have refused to get a COVID-19 vaccination.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday updated their guidance on face masks, stating fully vaccinated people no longer need them in most places and President Joe Biden hailed the advice as “extraordinary progress”. At 6am on 19 May, 37.8% of Americans had been vaccinated.
However, in the House of Representatives, facial masks are still being worn by the politicians and Senator Pelosi has explained why.
“It is unfortunate that a large number of people in the Congress have refused to be vaccinated … or have been vaccinated and don’t want to admit it,” Pelosi said, noting that Congress’s attending physician intends to keep the mask rule in place until all lawmakers get the jab.
“We have a responsibility to make sure that the House of Representatives chamber is not a petri dish because of the selfishness of some not to be vaccinated.”
The Republican Party’s Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel with party colleagues on Tuesday. Photo: Twitter
CNN released a survey of lawmakers that showed a 100% vaccination rate among the ruling Democrat Party members in the Senate and House of Representatives, yet just 95 of the Republican Party’s 212 members – 44.8% – told the network they are vaccinated.
An exasperated Pelosi said committee meetings and other gatherings in Congress will not be able to return to maskless normality until all lawmakers are vaccinated.
“What is this, the honor system … as to whether somebody’s been vaccinated?” she said. “Do you want them breathing in your face on the strength of their honor?”
A total of 602,588 people have been confirmed to have died of COVID-19 in the US, with 4,522 people dying from the virus in the past week.
