President Trump and other officials on Tuesday didn’t wear masks as a precaution against COVID-19 while touring a Honeywell plant in Phoenix that has been tasked with making N95 respirators for the federal government.
Trump and the other officials on the tour wore safety googles, but no masks during the visit. Throughout the factory there were multiple signs instructing employees to wear masks, with one reading: “Please wear your mask at all times.”
A White House official said that the facility had said that the president and the other officials on the tour weren’t required to wear masks while on the tour but should take precautions.
Before the tour, Trump sat in on a roundtable to discuss the impact that the pandemic is having on Native American communities. The president did not wear a mask during the event, though, the tables were placed at a distance.
The president had said earlier Tuesday that he might wear a mask during the visit to the Honeywell plant. Asked before departing for Arizona whether he would be wearing a mask on the tour, Trump responded, “If it’s a mask facility, I will.”
“I don’t know if it’s a mask facility. … We’re going to see Honeywell. They have done an incredible job on many fronts. And so I’m going to pay my respects to a great company and a great state: the state of Arizona,” he said.
Vice President Pence’s office confirmed earlier on Tuesday that the White House was in the beginning stages of scaling down its coronavirus task force.
When asked about it during the roundtable, Trump said that his administration’s response would now take on a “different form” as it focuses on safely reopening the country.
The president added that Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci, the two leading physicians on the task force, will be involved in White House’s next steps.