As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept through Michigan, the debate about masking up has been ongoing. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a mask mandate on July 13th, 2020 to help stop the spread of the disease, leading to even further debate.
On July 19th, Michigan State Representatives Ryan Berman (R – 39) and Kyra Bolden (D – 35) had a heated conversation about mask wearing in Michigan, and specifically Rep Berman’s refusal to wear a mask on the House Floor.
Representative Berman discussed his stance on mask wearing, sharing “When I’m on the House Floor… in a private place, social distanced. What do you need to have a mask on for if you’re not around anybody else?”
With Representative Bolden hitting back, saying “Because you are around other people Rep. Berman. And it’s incredibly disrespectful to your colleagues to not wear a mask.”
Rep. Kyra Bolden finalized her stance on mask wearing, stating, “It’s something very simple you can do to stop the spread of a global pandemic in Michigan. If my colleague is wrong about masks he could potentially infect countless people, resulting in death in some. If I’m wrong, I’ve suffered a minor inconvenience of wearing a cloth mask on my face while in public. I’m not willing to have on my conscience that my actions led to someone’s death. So I wear a mask.”
To see the entire clip, head to 18:00 on the Fox 2 Detroit website here.
