Mike Pence admits he should have worn mask during Mayo Clinic visit

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US vice president Mike Pence has admitted that he should have worn a face mask during a visit to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota last week.

Critics of Mr Pence’s decision not to don a protective mask said he had undermined government and state efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus that has caused more than 67,000 deaths in the US.

Mr Pence, who heads the Trump administration’s coronavirus task force unit, told Fox News that he did not believe he posed a risk to others, but that he should have worn a mask because the clinic had required it of other visitors.

“I didn’t think it was necessary, but I should have worn a mask at the Mayo Clinic,” said Mr Pence on Sunday.

The vice president had previously defended his decision not to wear a mask, citing recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that say masks should be worn primarily to prevent asymptomatic spread of Covid-19.

Mr Pence claimed last week that he did not learn until after his visit to the healthcare clinic that it had a policy on mask wearing, despite guidelines asking for patients and visitors to wear face coverings being in place since April.

Meanwhile, other officials accompanying the vice president on the Mayo Clinic visit had worn masks.

In comments made to Fox and Friends on Thursday, Karen Pence said that her husband had not worn a mask because he had been tested for the coronavirus and was not positive.

“As our medical experts have told us, wearing a mask prevents you from spreading the disease. And knowing that he doesn’t have Covid-19, he didn’t wear one,” said Ms Pence.

On Sunday, Mr Pence said that he and President Donald Trump were frequently tested for Covid-19, and he was confident he did not pose a risk to patients at the Mayo Clinic.

The vice president added during the Fox News Town Hall that beyond its public health purpose, wearing the mask also carried important symbolic weight.

“It’s really a statement about the American people, the way they have been willing to step forward, practice social distancing and wear masks in settings where they can’t do that,” said Mr Pence.

After criticism last week, the vice president wore a mask on a visit to a General Motors plant last week.