Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) released a lengthy public statement after he recovered from the coronavirus last week urging Americans to wear masks and for “every public official” to advocate wearing a mask.
He expressed regret for not wearing a mask to the White House during the announcement of the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and when helping President Trump prepare for the debate in the following days.
“I hope that my experience shows my fellow citizens that you should follow CDC guidelines in public no matter where you are and wear a mask to protect yourself and others,” he wrote in the statement.
However, he noted that Americans have not been treated as “adults,” and blamed the two “extremes” of those who advocate shutting down the country and those who think the coronavirus is “nothing.”
“Both are wrong,” he said.
“Every public official, regardless of party or position, should advocate for every American to wear a mask in public, appropriately socially distance, and to wash your hands frequently every day,” he said.
“At the same time, we should be reopening in every corner of this nation under those guidelines,” he added.
NBC News reported that Christie’s statement appeared an effort to “distance himself from the president.”
President Trump has struck a much more upbeat note on the coronavirus after his recovery, urging Americans not to let the fear of the virus domimate their lives.
After testing positive, the president checked into the Walter Reed Medical Center for four days, and did not require intensive care. He has now fully recovered.
Christie, on the other hand, said he spent seven days in the intensive care unit.
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