Twitter blocks tweet of Trump coronavirus adviser who undermined importance of mask usage during pandemic

Scott Atlas, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, was flagged by Twitter for a tweet that violated the social media site’s “misleading information” policy, a spokesperson confirmed Sunday to the New York Daily News.

“Masks work? NO,” Atlas, one of President Donald Trump’s closest medical advisers, tweeted Saturday with a link to an article in the American Institute for Economic Research that argues that masks are ineffective. “LA, Miami, Hawaii, Alabama, France, Phlippnes (sic), UK, Spain, Israel.”

Atlas then followed up the tweet with praise of Trump’s lax guidelines.

“Use masks for their intended purpose — when close to others, especially hi risk,” he tweeted. “Otherwise, social distance. No widespread mandates.”

The original tweet has since been deleted by administrators because it “violated the Twitter rules.”

Since April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged mask usage for everyone, symptomatic or not, in public settings to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“We are not defenseless against covid-19,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said in July in a statement still displayed prominently on the CDC website. “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus — particularly when used universally within a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.”

As coronavirus numbers spike again and the election quickly approaches, Facebook and Twitter have cracked down on the spread of misinformation, flagging several post from the president, who has continued to hold massive rallies with little mask usage, even after he was hospitalized with covid-19.

NEW: @Mtosterholm responds to Scott Atlas’ claim that only 25 or 20 percent of the population needs to be infected for herd immunity. #MTP

“That 20 percent number is the most amazing combination of pixie dust and pseudo science I have ever seen ... It is 50 to 70 percent.” pic.twitter.com/cKRa21IC5c

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) October 18, 2020

The covid-19 misleading information policy bans any “false or misleading content … which could lead to harm,” including by “subject-matter experts such as public health authorities,” according to Twitter.