At emergency COVID meeting Pence praises Texas for ‘decisive action reopening this economy’

Vice President Mike Pence praised the work Texas's Republican Gov. Greg Abbot is doing to combat the coronavirus.

Pence, who has chaired the coronavirus task force, has consistently downplayed the pandemic that has killed over 128,000 and sickened nearly 2.6 million Americans.

During the event, Pence was questioned about why President Donald Trump still refuses to wear a mask when Pence has decided that it's clearly important to do so even if he's getting tested. He ignored the question, saying instead, that people should "wear a mask."

"But it does require all Texans to go back to those strategies that we mastered," Pence said. That includes "wearing a facemask, sanitizing your hands, keeping a safe distance."

He told Texans that they must "go back" to washing their hands. What studies have shown, however, is that washing hands isn't as helpful as wearing a mask. Wearing a mask can protect people 75 percent more than without a mask.

Pence praised the work Texas has done to reopen, despite the fact that the reopening of Texas sparked another huge increase in the virus. Houston, Texas, in particular, has filled up the ICU beds. The state has also set new records for coronavirus-related hospitalizations for the 16th day in a row on Saturday. It's unclear why Pence believes this is a standard for reopening if Texas' reopening has resulted in so much more illness.

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