The future of masks in age of COVID-19
As people adapt to the new reality of coronavirus, the mask has become a place for innovation.
Retired MLB star Aubrey Huff went on a Twitter rant Tuesday, claiming he would rather die from coronavirus than wear a mask and live in fear amid the pandemic.
The two-time World Series champion, whose career spanned 13 seasons, had tweeted on Monday that he would no longer wear a mask inside any business, declaring it "unconstitutional to enforce."
In a separate Twitter video on Tuesday, Huff claimed that after his post the "liberal left" had guilt-shamed him for "threatening the lives of millions of people."
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WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE
"I understand the coronavirus is real, and if you have pre-existing conditions or you're an old person, and I know this sounds insensitive but someone has to say it...you are morbidly obese, then stay the f*** home," Huff said.
He added: "Just because that is your plight in life, doesn't mean the whole world has to shut down."
Earlier in the day, he came to his own conclusion that the best thing for our country is to take the masks off, which he says would "build up our immunity" because "at some point, we're all bound to encounter it [the virus] if it's as contagious as the 'experts' say it is."
Health experts have highlighted the importance of wearing masks to limit the spread of the virus, including Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who said the masks actually give you more freedom to go out.
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“Some feel face coverings infringe on their freedom of choice- but if more wear them, we’ll have MORE freedom to go out. Face coverings [leads to] less asymptomatic viral spread [leads to] more places open, and sooner!” Adams wrote on Twitter.
Studies have shown that masks are paramount to stopping the spread and can greatly reduce airborne transmission. Experts have said that masks could actually help the economy open up sooner and allow for more freedoms -- as the public will worry less about infecting those more vulnerable to the virus.
“Our analyses support the immediate and universal adoption of face masks by the public,” said Dr. Richard Stutt the lead author of one study, conducted by the U.K.'s University of Cambridge and University of Greenwich.
“If widespread face mask use by the public is combined with physical distancing and some lockdown, it may offer an acceptable way of managing the pandemic and reopening economic activity long before there is a working vaccine," Dr. Stutt added.
A separate study, conducted by a team of scientists in Hong Kong, found the rate of non-contact transmission through respiratory droplets or airborne particles dropped by as much as 75 percent when masks were used.
“The findings implied to the world and the public is that the effectiveness of mask-wearing against the coronavirus pandemic is huge,” said Dr. Yuen Kwok-yung, a leading microbiologist from Hong Kong University who helped discover the SARS virus back in 2003.
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In the U.S., all 50 states plus the District of Columbia have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, tallying more than 2,137,731 illnesses and at least 116,963 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Huff played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, and San Francisco Giants during his career.
Fox News' Chris Ciaccia contributed to this report