Use mask in public, health experts say; Ducey rarely does

As Arizona faces a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, health officials, politicians and business leaders have called for people to wear cloth masks in public to help reduce the spread of the disease.

But Gov. Doug Ducey, the state’s top elected official, has rarely worn a mask when he’s pictured at meetings and public outings. He doesn’t wear one when he briefs the media on the COVID-19 situation.

One notable exception: He wore a mask to tour the Honeywell factory that is producing masks when President Donald Trump came to town.

Ducey spokesman Patrick Ptak said Ducey “wears a mask when necessary.” Ptak also said Ducey has been tested for COVID-19.

Ptak did not respond to questions about how often Ducey is tested for the disease or when exactly the governor would consider a mask necessary.

At a press briefing on Thursday, Ducey said he has worn a mask when picking up groceries or at the pharmacy. When he’s not able to physically distance, he said he wears them and washes them often. He had a face mask in his pocket that he pulled out during the press briefing. It appeared to be in a plastic bag. He did not put the mask on.

“I’m all for face masks when you can’t physically distance . ... Face masks are good. So if you can’t physically distance, wear the mask.” Ducey said.

He didn’t directly answer whether he believes he has a responsibility to set an example for Arizonans by wearing a mask in photos he posts online.

Public health experts, including the Arizona Department of Health Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have recommended the public wear cloth masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Research has shown that people can spread the disease when they are asymptomatic, and masks can help prevent this spread. Masks help stop you from unwittingly spreading the disease, thus protecting those around you.

“We all have a role in preventing the spread of COVID-19,” state health director Dr. Cara Christ wrote in a blog post on the ADHS website. “Wearing a cloth face covering is one thing you can do to keep your family, co-workers, and community safe.”

Christ recommended in early April that Arizonans start wearing masks in public.

Ducey posted CDC safety recommendations on Twitter on Wednesday. Absent from the list the governor posted, despite the CDC recommending them: wearing cloth masks.

Ducey’s office regularly posts photos of meetings Ducey is having indoors with others. In mid-May, his Twitter account posted photo of the governor stopping for lunch at Pita Jungle in Phoenix with a bipartisan group of legislators. Neither Ducey nor the other politicians pictured were wearing masks.

On June 4, he posted photos from a meeting with more than 10 people, none of whom were wearing masks, and some of whom were closer to each other than the 6 feet recommended for social distancing.

People on social media have criticized Ducey for not wearing a mask and sending a strong message that doing so is needed to help slow the spread. The criticism often comes in response to Ducey posting photos of himself in meetings with others, unmasked.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, Maricopa County public health officials urged Arizonans to wear masks in public to help slow the case increases the county is now seeing. Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director of disease control for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, even demonstrated how to properly wear a mask during Wednesday’s briefing.