Last week, the Alabama Dept. of Public Health (ADPH) put out a tweet calling for Alabamians to “normalize masking.”
“When in doubt, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Let’s normalize masking and protect our community,” the post said.
Tuesday on WVNN’s “The Dale Jackson Show,” Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth said he disagreed with the message the ADPH was trying to promote on masking.
“The Department of Public Health, in my opinion, overstepped the boundary,” Ainsworth said. “I don’t think they need to get into this idea we need to normalize masks. That is just insane, right? This has gotten to the point now we understand what we’re dealing with. This is very similar to a flu. We’re going to have to learn to live with it.”
The lieutenant governor said it should be up to each individual to make decisions around the virus.
“You got health issues; you want to wear a mask? Have at it,” he advised. “But as far as the government, a government-funded agency trying to normalize masking, I’m totally against that. I’m going to continue to push back. Each person can decide what they want to do, what’s best for them, but I really don’t think the Department of Public Health needs to be pushing out that message.”
Beyond criticizing the agency, Ainsworth said he would also be investigating how this decision was made in the ADPH to post the tweet.
“You know, I think that there’s got to be accountability,” he emphasized. “The Public Health has a board. There’s a process on how you get on that board. We’ve got to decide is that a good enough check or balance, and if it’s not we need to have stronger accountability measures there, but it all comes back to accountability and making sure you hold those people in check.”
He reiterated that he would continue to push back against any attempt to promote masking for otherwise healthy individuals.
“At the end of the day,” he continued, “we’re going to push back, and masking is not going to become a normalizing thing. Our kids are going to school. I do not think they need to be wearing masks. You want to go to your jobs or restaurant or just go out, I don’t think you should be having to wear a mask.”
Ainsworth noted that he was not wearing masks in public right now and neither was anyone he spends time with.
“I just think it’s crazy, that’s really what I think, and I just think it’s unfortunate because the circles I run in, the friends I’m with…none of our people are wearing masks or even worried about COVID now. At all! he declared.
The ADPH must stop its Chicken Little, sky-is-falling campaign to “normalize masking.” The pandemic is over, and these kind of Fauci false alarms can hurt Alabama’s economy and slow our tourism. It’s time to get back to business as usual and put this kind of nonsense behind us. https://t.co/UZIGODvyaJ
— Will Ainsworth (@willainsworthAL) July 25, 2022
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” Weekdays 9-11am on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
