Wearing a mask has become necessary to combat the coronavirus pandemic, yet there are people who blatantly disregard the rules. Residents in some states, like Florida, have even gone to their local city councils to voice their frustration over wearing a mask in public.

U.S. President Donald Trump recently banned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from mandating states to force their residents to wear masks on public transportation. This does not help spread the importance of wearing a mask to begin with.

Masks are important to wear during this pandemic, especially when riding public transportation.

By wearing a mask in a public setting like an MTA bus or train, people are keeping each other safe from the coronavirus.

According to a recent report from The New York Times, the CDC created an order last month stating that all public transportation passengers and employees must wear a mask.

The order was blocked by the executive branch, specifically by the White House’s coronavirus task force, led by Vice President Mike Pence.

The CDC has recommended that people wear a mask in public settings. Masks are important to wear because they serve as simple barriers from germs. When people cough, they spread germs around in the air and onto people nearby if they do not cover their nose and mouth.

Wearing a mask on public transportation, like a New York City subway car, is very important and it is disappointing when government officials double down on the anti-mask movement.

Over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, there have been reports about people hosting parties and not following social distancing guidelines.

Even our nation’s leadership is not setting a good example by disregarding social distancing guidelines and refusing to wear a mask.

Trump has stated that he does not believe wearing a mask will stop the pandemic.

“I don’t agree with the statement that if everybody wears a mask, everything disappears,” he told Fox News in an interview with their host, Chris Wallace, on July 19.

A high number of public health officials find that wearing a mask is one of the most effective ways to combat the spread of the virus.

It is not a secret that there’s sheer disagreement between Dr. Robert Redfield, the CDC Director, and Trump. The two have been publicly at odds during the coronavirus pandemic over the CDC director’s promotion of wearing a mask, along with the idea of social distancing.

“I think masks are the most powerful weapon we have to confront COVID and we all need to embrace masks and set the example for each other,” Redfield said.

Representative Peter A. DeFazio, Democrat of Oregon and chairman of the House of Representatives committee on transportation and infrastructure, voiced his opinion of the president ignoring the public health experts on the topic of wearing a mask.

“It’s especially outrageous because the science is so clear: masks save lives,” DeFazio said.

Fazio also stated that the millions of Americans that use the public transportation everyday deserve to know that their president is doing everything possible to keep them safe.

While a vaccine is in progress of being made, wearing a mask is the next best option when the goal for now is to curve the virus.