Vice President Mike Pence wore a mask Thursday as he toured a General Motors plant in Indiana where workers have been making ventilators for patients afflicted with COVID-19.
Unlike a visit to the Mayo Clinic this week when Mr. Pence didn’t wear a mask, the vice president did so while meeting with workers to discuss the assembly process for making the ventilators. Also wearing masks were Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro and Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, head of the supply chain task force at FEMA.
“You’re making a difference for America,” Mr. Pence told an employee, giving the rest of the workers on the factory floor a thumbs-up.
Mr. Pence, head of the White House coronavirus task force, was criticized for not wearing a mask at the Mayo Clinic. He said at the time that he wanted to look health care workers “in the eye” to thank them for their efforts. He also said he has been tested for the disease and doesn’t have it.
General Motors coordinated with the United Auto Workers to bring employees back to the auto plant in mid-April to produce critical-care ventilators for hospitals around the country.
The facility was set up to switch production in 17 days, and has already manufactured hundreds of ventilators, including ones sent to hospitals in Gary, Indiana, that were struggling with their supply, according to a pool report on the vice president’s visit.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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