‘You’re a selfish bastard.’ Colorado governor blasts people who don’t wear masks

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis ripped residents of his state who are refusing to wear face masks during the coronavirus pandemic.

He has not mandated wearing masks, but Polis has consistently reminded Colorado residents to be vigilant in putting on masks when they go outside. In a Facebook post Sunday, he took aim at those who are not wearing masks.

“The emerging scientific data is clear: wearing a mask doesn’t only protect others, it also significantly reduces your own risk of getting coronavirus,” the Democratic governor wrote. “So if you’re a selfish bastard and wearing a mask to protect others isn’t enough of a reason to do so, then maybe protecting yourself is?”

Polis shared a study by University of California, Davis, which found that wearing a face mask can decrease your own risk of infection by 65%.

Many people applauded Polis’ comments, saying how rare it is for a politician “to tell it how it is.”

“I’m not even a dem and you’re great,” Dave Mazess wrote. “Science shouldn’t be partisan.”

“You tell it like it is, Governor Polis. I like that,” Sharon Duffy commented. “Everyone should be wearing their masks. We want to eliminate those numbers. Good work!”

“You’re not my governor, Governor Polis, but I absolutely love your willingness to tell it like it is and call out people who don’t wear masks for what they are,” said Jon Young, an Illinois resident.

Other people asked Polis why he has not made wearing face masks mandatory in Colorado. The state is one of 26 in the country that has not mandated wearing masks in public spaces, as of Monday.

Colorado has seen a rise in coronavirus cases this month, but it has not recently reached its daily peak, which it had in April. As of Sunday, there are 36,913 confirmed coronavirus cases in Colorado and 1,586 deaths, according to the health department.

This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 3:39 PM.