Rand Paul Questions Efficacy of Mask Mandates — ‘Why Shouldn’t the Burden Be on the Government?’

On Monday, during an appearance on FNC’s “Fox News Primetime,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) reiterated his skepticism of Biden medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci for his stance on masking as a way to mitigate the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paul told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade that the burden should be on the government to show the masking mandates were necessary.

“Well, you see what his argument is,” Paul said. “His argument is what if? It’s what if these people can spread it? And my response is showing me the evidence. Show me the proof, you know, show me that people are transmitting this who have gotten vaccinated, and there is no proof of that in fact, the vaccine is doing very well. There has been almost no hospitalization of someone who has been vaccinated. Been almost no deaths, I think zero deaths from people getting COVID after vaccination. So they are arguing you might be able to transmit it. All I’m saying is if you want me to wear a mask for two more years or three more years or for the rest of my life, why don’t you show me evidence?”

“Why shouldn’t the burden be on the government to show us evidence that we are still somehow transmitting this,” Paul continued. “And you notice what he slipped in there at the end. This is the real truth. It’s with civility, and so he thinks it’s no big deal, but people’s livelihoods are being lost. I mean, restaurants being shut down. I don’t know that it’s being civil to have an empty booth between me and the next person if it doesn’t work, why are we doing it.”

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