US First Lady Melania Trump, who was at Children’s
National Hospital on Tuesday, made headlines after she was seen flouting hospital’s
coronavirus protocols by removing her face mask to read a holiday book to
children.

According to a CNN report, Melania who visits
children at the hospital every year as a Christmas ritual, arrived in the
hospital’s main atrium wearing a mask but took it off soon after she got seated in front of a
tree.

The hospital’s policy makes it mandatory for everyone
to wear a mask at all times while in any Children’s National facility to prevent
the spread of COVID-19. This includes all public places, such as the hallway
and cafeteria.

The first lady’s office, however, has not responded to the reports so far but an event readout issued by the White house later on Tuesday justified Melania’s move by saying that the policies were not applicable to a person while delivering a speech.

“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. 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. Throughout the holiday program, the First Lady was more than twelve feet away from others in the four-story atrium. Today’s visit, broadcast to 325 inpatient hospital rooms, followed these guidelines.” the notice read.

Children’s National spokesperson, Diana Troese on the other hand clarified to CNN that the first lady removed mask only for a little while and maintained an affirmed distance from the others in the atrium.

“In the case of today’s visit which was broadcast to our 325 patients, while the First Lady did remove her mask while she read a story, she was more than 12 feet away from others in our large atrium. All other people in that space were wearing masks. The remainder of her visit, she wore a mask,” Troese added.

The first lady and her husband, President Donald Trump, who has often downplayed the risks of the novel coronavirus, tested positive for COVID-19 in October.

Donald Trump who never fails to tout one or the other unproven remedies for the disease is hardly seen wearing a mask in public as well.