‘The View’ host Whoopi Goldberg has a message for non-mask wearers amid COVID-19 crisis
“The View” host Whoopi Goldberg didn’t hold back on Friday in her criticism of people pushing back against the use of face masks.
Goldberg, longtime moderator of the daytime talk show, and her fellow panelists sounded off on public comments from Florida residents upset about efforts to require face masks in Palm Beach County amid the coronavirus crisis.
Goldberg’s comments start at the 6:10 mark.
A county commissioners meeting turned ugly Tuesday as residents pegged the proposed mandate as “dogma” and “the devil’s law,” according to a video played during Friday’s edition of “The View.” Goldberg said she was “stunned” by some people’s inability to see the seriousness of the pandemic and argued that those who don’t wear a mask do not deserve medical treatment if/when they fall sick.
“Here’s the deal,” she began. “You don’t want to wear a mask? We just need to have your name and phone number so that when you get sick and you go rushing to the hospital for help ... people can actually say, ‘Oh you’re the one who said don’t wear a mask — and here you are. You’re ill.’”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended face masks as a way to slow the spread of the virus, which, as of Friday, had infected more than 2.4 million across the U.S. and caused over 124,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
“See, I wanna rub it in your face because that means that you, because of your insanity, have taken time away from a doctor who could be working on someone who did the right thing [but] got [the coronavirus] anyway,” Goldberg added. “You don’t wanna (wear a mask)? Fine. But don’t come looking for help when you need it. Because you will need it.”.
Florida has emerged as a hot spot as cases spike across the country. On Friday, the Sunshine State saw a record single-day increase of nearly 9,000 new coronavirus cases, according to the Miami Herald.
“Florida’s Department of Health on Friday morning confirmed the cases, bringing the state total to 122,960,” the newspaper reported. “The state also announced at least 39 new deaths, bringing the total of COVID-19 deaths north of 3,360.”
Goldberg’s comments drew a myriad of reactions from viewers. Some agreed while others criticized the idea of a mask mandate and cited their constitutional freedoms.
“If you have no problem with the government forcing you to use seat belts while driving or wear clothes while in public then you should have no problem with government forcing you to wear masks to protect yourself and others,” one viewer commented.
“What happened to our rights of freedom of choice?” another wrote to “The View” on Twitter. “Why should we be mandated to wear a mask? Trump, his family, Pence, etc. aren’t wearing masks. It seems our constitutional rights are being eliminated one by one.”
“You want to talk about freedom? Doctors should have ‘freedom’ to refuse to treat them,” a comment on YouTube said.
Goldberg said that while face coverings can be uncomfortable, they’ve been proven effective to help fight the pandemic.
“Nobody wants to wear the masks, but we’re wearing them because this is what will help. This is what we’ve discovered,” she concluded.