Former New Jersey Governor and recent Trump shill Chris Christie now admits he was "wrong" to not wear a mask during debate prep sessions with the purported POTUS and at an event centered on Amy Coney Barrett.
"I believed when I entered the White House grounds, that I had entered a safe zone, due to the testing that I and many others underwent every day," Christie said in a statement first reported by the New York Times on Thursday. "I was wrong. I was wrong not to wear a mask at the Amy Coney Barrett announcement and I was wrong not to wear a mask at my multiple debate prep sessions with the president and the rest of the team."
Christie added that he now hopes his experience—which included spending seven days in an intensive care unit—shows others the importance of strictly following CDC guidelines "no matter where you are." The virus, he said, should be taken "very seriously" by all.
"The ramifications are wildly random and potentially deadly," Christie, who previously expressed support for sacrificing lives during the pandemic by comparing the current era to the first and second World Wars, said.
On Friday, Christie made an appearance on Good Morning America during which he also discussed his experience with COVID-19:
The CDC's most recent numbers on COVID-19 show that there are nearly 8 million confirmed cases in the U.S. and more than 216,000 confirmed deaths.
Earlier this week, Dr. Anthony Fauci—director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—urged Americans to remain vigilant in the coming months, which will likely prove critical. Many will feel the pull to loosen up their respective social distancing practices, which Fauci warned is not the way to go, even with holidays coming up for many that are typically filled with close interactions with family and friends, not to mention extensive traveling.
"You may have to bite the bullet and sacrifice that social gathering, unless you're pretty certain that the people that you're dealing with are not infected," Fauci explained during a CBS News interview.