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Senator Marco Rubio ridiculed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for wearing a mask and face shield in the Philippines.
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In the Philippines, where COVID-19 is on the rise, masks and face shields are needed in public places.
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Rubio’s hometown of Florida is coping with its own surge as hospitalizations increase.
Senator Marco Rubio ridiculed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Thursday for wearing a mask and face shield when he arrived in the Philippines.
“Our @SecDef is vaccinated,” Rubio wrote in a tweet with a video showing Austin’s unplanned plans. “But he arrives in the Philippines wearing a mask and face shield.”
“Embarrassing COVID Theater,” he continued.
According to the Philippines, anyone in a public place should wear a mask and face shield. US Embassy in the Philippines.. Some of the people Austin welcomes in the video also wear masks and face shields.
read more: Vaccine duty is coming, and it’s time
The Philippines is also facing a surge in COVID-19, and Manila officials are being urged to impose stricter coronavirus restrictions this week. Reuters The Philippines recorded the largest daily increase in COVID-19 cases in more than 6 weeks, reported Tuesday.According to the country with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia after Indonesia New York Times..
Rubio’s hometown of Florida is dealing with its own COVID-19 surge. The state leads the United States in cases of COVID-19 and Times.. It also has the second highest number of COVID-19 cases per capita after Louisiana.
Austin met with Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte during his visit. After the meeting, Duterte announced a defense pact with the United States, a visiting US military agreement, Associated Press report. The VFA enables large-scale combat exercises between the US and Filipino troops, which occasionally raises concerns from China.
“Our country faces challenges ranging from climate crises to pandemics, and like us, a strong and resilient US-Philippines alliance is essential to the security, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific. It will continue to exist, “Austin said. .. “A fully restored VFA helps us reach that goal together.”
Read the original article Business insider