Harrison Ford just wanted to drink some coffee while still wearing a protective face covering on May 18 and found a happy medium. The avid pilot wore a black mask covering just his nose, leaving his mouth open and exposed as he checked on some of his planes at the Hawthorne, CA Airport. While it might have looked incredibly silly, the movie icon had his reasons for pulling up the covering, as he had a cup of coffee in his hand in photos. Thus it was just easier for him to keep sipping on his joe without constantly moving the mask up and down past his lips.
The nose-only covering somewhat defeated the purpose of helping protect against catching or spreading COVID-19 by leaving his mouth exposed. But to Harrison’s credit, he seemed to be alone when his photo was taken. He was also outdoors and appeared to be socially distant from anyone else around. Just some A.M. coffee, solitude and a check on some of his beloved private planes was all the Star Wars legend wanted on a rainy Monday morning.
Los Angeles County began requiring individuals to wear facial coverings when going out in public to places such as grocery stores and pharmacies as of Apr. 16. In the City of Los Angeles, the rules are even more strict. On May 14, Mayor Eric Garcetti told residents to wear a face covering anytime they encountered anyone who they were not in quarantine with. “Wear a face covering when you are near others who do not live in your own household,” the mayor said. “Simply put: Bring your mask whenever you leave your home.” Harrison lives in L.A., so he did his part by making sure to still bring his mask along for his trip to the Hawthorne Airport.
President Donald Trump begrudgingly announced on Apr. 3 that the CDC was recommending all Americans wear face masks to halt the spread of the coronavirus. At the time the death toll in the U.S. stood at 7,000. Now the number is over 90,000 fatalities. Rather than urge citizens to take the CDC’s advice and wear facial protection in public, Trump stressed, “This is voluntary. I don’t think I am going to be doing it.” He’s proven to be a stubborn man of his word, refusing to wear a face mask even when touring a face mask factory in Arizona on May 5 where it was mandatory to have one on.