Pittsylvania Co. official asks Northam to lift mandate, says only gas masks prevent virus
PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors meeting took a turn Tuesday night when a supervisor brought out a gas mask to prove that wearing a cloth mask isn't effective.
Ronald Scearce, Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisor, says he wants Governor Ralph Northam to lift Virginia's mask mandate.
“I would ask him to get rid of this ridiculous mask mandate and reopen our businesses fully,” he said.
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He also referred to COVID-19 as the "Chinese virus."
In addition to his comments, Scearce encouraged people to call Northam's office asking him to put an end to the mask mandate.
He then pulled out an M40A1 gas mask saying that's it's the only thing that would stop the virus.
" Depending on what air filter is put in here, it will stop just about any chemical or biological agent in the world. It will also stop the Chinese virus.”
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He then pulled out a cloth mask with 'Trump 2020' written across it, saying cloth masks don't work.
Holding up the cloth mask, he said, "This crazy thing here, while it is great advertisement for the greatest president in my lifetime, does nothing to stop the Chinese virus and I can prove that if you allow me to spray you in the face with pepper spray or mace, you'll realize this does absolutely nothing."
Watch the full video of his comments:
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that claim is false.
The CDC has published recent studies saying cloth masks can reduce the transmission of the virus in some cases by 79%.
According to the Virginia Dept. of Health, Pittsylvania County has had more than 3,600 coronavirus cases.
