State Surgeon General refuse mask at meeting with lawmakers

By Jivisha Aggarwal, Pawzfeed editor, The Pawprint 

Democratic Florida state senator Tina Polsky had asked visitors to wear masks and adhere to social distancing before her breast cancer diagnosis was made public. 

Surgeon Joseph Ladapo and two of his aides were offered masks when they entered the building for a meeting stating that she had a serious health condition but he refused. He asked to go outside but the senator did not want to sit outside on a metal bench on a hot day when she had a perfectly good office. She asked why he could not wear a mask but he did not answer. 

“It was so shocking to me that he treated me in this manner,” Polsky said. “If he is a surgeon general for the next several years, I am really concerned about a future public health emergency and not being able to rely on him for necessary guidance and proper scientific leadership.”

A day into his job he signed new rules giving parents the right to decide whether their children quarantined or continued going to school after being in contact with somebody who tested positive for Covid-19.