The First Lady’s office responded Tuesday to attacks about Melania Trump being maskless while reading to children during her visit at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.
“Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the event was limited in numbers of in-person participants and all guests were required to wear face masks and adhere to social distancing,” a statement from FLOTUS‘ office read. (RELATED: Melania Stuns In Pale-Pink Dress At Reception During UN General Assembly [PHOTOS])
Photo by JACQUELYN MARTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by JACQUELYN MARTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
(Photo by JACQUELYN MARTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“The visit followed the hospital’s mask protocols for public speakers, based on the District of Columbia health guidance, that wearing a mask is not required when a person is giving a speech for broadcast or an audience, provided no one is within six feet of the speaker,” the statement added. (RELATED: Celebrate Ivanka Trump’s Birthday With Her Greatest Looks [SLIDESHOW])
(Photo by JACQUELYN MARTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“Throughout the holiday program, the First Lady was more than twelve feet away from others in the four-story atrium,” the statement concluded. “Today’s visit, broadcast to 325 inpatient hospital rooms, followed these guidelines.”
The press release from Melania‘s office also explained during the first lady‘s visit, that FLOTUS read “Oliver the Ornament Meets Marley [and] Joan and Abbey” to a “small group of socially-distanced patients and their families in the hospital’s atrium.”
And that the the first lady’s reading of the book from author Todd Zimmerman was “broadcast to the hospital’s 325 inpatient rooms” so “that children and their families could watch the reading from the safety of their rooms.”
The press release from Melania’s office followed reports from several outlets including CNN, The Hill and The Daily Beast with headlines that read “Melania Trump removes mask to read to young patients, breaking hospital’s rules” and “Melania Trump breaks children’s hospital rules by taking her mask off to read to patients.”
Melania Trump removes mask to read to young patients, breaking hospital’s rules https://t.co/9kt5xllF7A pic.twitter.com/L0fS9pdPQx
— The Hill (@thehill) December 15, 2020
First lady Melania Trump broke stated mask policy at Children’s National Hospital when she removed her mask to read a holiday book to children https://t.co/Wy316cBS0P
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 15, 2020
During a holiday visit to the Children’s National Hospital, first lady Melania Trump prepared to read a story to children by first removing her face mask https://t.co/40FRvsVLtZ
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) December 15, 2020