Twitter blocks tweet of Trump virus adviser

Scott Atlas, a member o f t h e W h i t e H o u s e c o r o n a v i r u s t a s k f o r c e , was flagged by Twitter for a tweet that violated the social media site's “misleading i n f o r ma t i o n ” p o l i c y , a spokesperson confirmed to the New York Daily News Sunday.

“M a s k s w o r k ? N O , ” At l a s , o n e o f P r e s i d e n t Donald Trump's cl osest m e d i c a l a d v i s e r s , t we e t e d S a t u r d a y wi t h a l i nk to an article i n the A me r i c a n I n s t i t u t e f o r Economic Research t hat a r g u e s t h a t ma s k s a r e i neffective. “LA, Miami, Hawaii, Alabama, France, Phlippnes (sic), UK, Spain, Israel.”

A t l a s t h e n f o l l o w e d u p t h e t w e e t w i t h p r a i s e o f T r u m p ' s l a x guidelines.

“Us e mas k s f o r t h e i r i nt e nded pur pose when close to others, especially h i r i s k , ” h e t w e e t e d . “O t h e r w i s e , s o c i a l distance. No widespread mandates.”

The original t weet has s i n c e b e e n d e l e t e d b y a d mi n i s t r a t o r s b e c a u s e i t “vi ol a t e d t he Twitter rules.”

Since April, the Centers f or Disease Control and P r e v e n t i o n h a s u r g e d mask usage for everyone, s y mptomatic o r n o t , i n p u b l i c s e t t i n g s t o h e l p p r e v e n t t h e s p r e a d o f coronavirus.

“We are not defenseless a g a i n s t C O V I D - 1 9 , ” C D C D i r e c t o r R o b e r t R e d f i e l d s a i d i n a J u l y statement still displayed p r o m i n e n t l y o n t h e C D C w e b s i t e . “C l o t h f a c e c o v e r i n g s a r e o n e o f t h e m o s t p o w e r f u l weapons we have to slow a n d s t o p t h e s p r e a d o f t h e v i r u s _ p a r t i c u l a r l y wh e n u s e d u n i v e r s a l l y w i t h i n a c o m m u n i t y s e t t i n g . A l l A me r i c a n s h a v e a r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o p r o t e c t t h e ms e l v e s , t heir f amilies, and t heir communities.”

As coronavirus numbers spike again and the election q u i c k l y a p p r o a c h e s , b o t h F a c e b o o k a n d T w i t t e r h a v e c r a c k e d d o w n o n t h e s p r e a d o f m i s i n f o r m a t i o n , f l a g g i n g s e v e r a l p o s t f rom the president, who h a s c o n t i n u e d t o h o l d massive rallies with little mask u s a g e , e v e n a f t e r he was hospitalized with COVID-19.

T h e C O V I D - 1 9 mis l e a d i n g i n f o r mati o n policy bans any “false or mi s l e a d i n g c o n t e n t . . . which could lead to harm,” i n c l u d i n g b y “s u b j e c t - mat t e r e x p e r t s s u c h a s public health authorities,” according to Twitter.