Vice President Mike Pence refused to wear a mask on Tuesday as he toured the Mayo Clinic and met with hospital staff and a patient, rejecting the famed hospital’s policy that all visitors cover their faces to reduce Covid-19 risks.

Pence last week made plans to visit the Rochester, Minn., institution after it announced a coronavirus testing “moonshot” to combat the current outbreak. His decision not to wear a mask — even as he was surrounded by others who followed the policy — was widely condemned on social media, including by public health experts, on Tuesday afternoon.


Pence told reporters after the visit that he believed that he was following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and he asserted that he was not infected by Covid-19.

"As vice president of the United States, I'm tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus," Pence said, according to a pool report.

However, the CDC has recommended that all Americans wear cloth face masks in public settings where other social distancing measures may be difficult to maintain. Photos and video of Pence's visit to Mayo Clinic show him in close conversation with other individuals.

Scientists also have stressed that Covid-19 tests may produce incorrect results and that it is possible to carry the virus and not know it.


Some officials — like Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), who greeted Pence upon his arrival in the state on Tuesday — have worn masks in public appearances. But many Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have rejected those recommendations for themselves. Pence declined to wear masks in previous public appearances, including visits to the Air Force Academy and a GE Healthcare site last week. After discussing recommendations to wear masks, Trump said at a press briefing on April 3 that “I don't see it for myself.”

Mayo Clinic on April 13 announced its own policy to require all visitors to wear masks in order to slow the spread of Covid-19, based on the CDC guidance.

A Mayo Clinic spokesperson told POLITICO that Pence and his team had been briefed about the mask policy prior to arriving on campus. “We made the Vice President and his staff aware of our policy regarding masking,” the spokesperson said, referring other questions to Pence’s office. Masks were made available to Pence on Tuesday, said two individuals.

Mayo Clinic also took down a tweet that had said "Mayo Clinic had informed @VP of the masking policy prior to his arrival today." The clinic did not immediately respond to a question about why the tweet was deleted.


Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn, who accompanied Pence on the trip, did wear a mask as he toured Mayo Clinic. “He set a good example as a public health official,” said a senior administration official.

Ken Martin, chairman of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in Minnesota, criticized Pence for setting a dangerous example, saying his failure to abide by hospital rules "jeopardizes the health and well-being of those around him and encourages others to engage in the same selfish and irresponsible behavior."

“The least we can do to thank the essential workers who risk infection to keep us fed, healthy, and safe during this crisis is to take the proper precautions to keep them safe as well," Martin said. "By refusing to lead by example and help protect essential workers, Vice President Pence is telling the American people that his public image matters more than the lives of those on the frontlines of this pandemic.”