California’s San Bernardino County on Wednesday issued a formal order that everyone must wear a face covering when leaving their home. An unknown woman who attended the press conference wearing a mask in the non-approved manner was arrested at the scene.
The county’s acting Public Health officer, Dr. Erin Gustafson, declined to identify the suspect, but said the woman was arrested for gross ignorance.
“I hate to have anyone arrested, but for God’s sake, this ignoramus was just told that approved masks must cover the mouth and nose and she still refused to comply,” Gustafson said. “Honestly, if your makeup is more important than the health officer’s order, then you deserve a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail.”
San Bernardino has 530 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16 deaths have been associated with the illness.
Update: Moments after this article was published, San Bernardino announced 547 confirmed cases and 17 deaths.
Update: News reports have identified the arrested woman as U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Florida).
Update: Updated news reports have identified the arrested woman as an ISIS escapee from Oakland.
