Vice President Pence draws controversy for entering Mayo Clinic without a mask

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By 830 WCCO

"We made the Vice President and his staff aware of our policy regarding masking. For all additional inquiries please contact his press team."

Vice President Pence issued this statement:

"As Vice President of the United States I am tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone around me is tested for the coronavirus. Since I don't have the coronavirus, I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible healthcare personal and look them in the eye and say thank you." 

This video shows Pence in a group of 10 people touring the hospital. 

Here’s video of the Mayo Clinic letting Mike Pence in without one anyway.pic.twitter.com/S5sKm4wgGh https://t.co/4spl2p1c5T

— Erick Fernandez (@ErickFernandez) April 28, 2020

The Vice President was chosen by President Trump to run the coronavirus task force. Pence's Tuesday trip to the Mayo Clinic is to see firsthand a new coronavirus testing initiative called a “moonshot” by Gov. Walz. It’s a public-private initiative, one that includes the University of Minnesota, that HCMC’s assistant director of medicine says is critical in the effort to stop the spread of COVID-19.