Pritzker Calls For National Face-Covering Requirements

From The Center Square:

By Greg Bishop

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker urged federal lawmakers on Wednesday to adopt a nationwide face-covering requirement as the number of cases of COVID-19 increases in some states.

During a virtual hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security Wednesday, Pritzker criticized the federal government for not implementing the Defense Production act early on in the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said states were bidding against each other to buy personal protective equipment.

“States were forced to play some sick hunger games game show to save the lives of people,” Pritzker said. “This is not a reality TV show. These are real things that are happening.”

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted 14 seasons of "The Apprentice," a reality TV show, before he was elected in 2016.

Pritzker also laid out a number things he said the federal government can do moving forward, including more testing and tracking, continued funding for the National Guard to assist in COVID-19 response, a federal bailout for state and local governments, and a national face-covering mandate.

“This might be the most important thing that we can do to save lives,” Pritzker said. “We need a national masking mandate. We instituted ours in Illinois on May 1, one of the first in the nation, and it aligns with our most significant downward shifts in our infection rate.”

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