Schwarzenegger and other former governors urge Californians to wear masks, noting coronavirus 'didn't go away'

The governor of California has recruited a bipartisan group of his predecessors for a new PSA on the importance of wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic, as the crisis "isn't over."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who last week announced residents must wear masks in public spaces, on Monday rolled out a video on the subject featuring four of the state's former governors from both parties: Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), Gray Davis (D), Jerry Brown (D), and Pete Wilson (R).

"This is not about being weak," Schwarzenegger says, with Davis adding, "it's about fighting the disease and keeping our families and ourselves safe." The governors call on Californians to "do your part" by wearing a mask, stressing that the pandemic "isn't over" and that COVID-19 "didn't go away just because your mall is open at 50 percent capacity." Newsom last week said that "we are seeing too many people with faces uncovered, putting at risk the real progress we have made in fighting the disease."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Schwarzenegger has been vocal about the need to wear a mask to slow the spread of the coronavirus, recently leaving a gym that didn't require them. Last week, he applauded Newsom's decision to require masks be worn in public spaces, tweeting that anyone making mask-wearing into a political issue is an "absolute moron." Brendan Morrow