Jearlean John: Hard to campaign in mask

UNC deputy leader Jearlean John has defended her being seen without a mask in photos posted online of her election campaigning in the La Horquetta/Talparo constituency.

She said she and her campaign team did comply with physical distancing guidelines aimed at curbing the spread of covid19.

“Wearing a mask is not social distancing. Wearing a mask is not the law of TT," she told Newsday on Monday.

"I want your editor to walk about with a mask on. It could be challenging, to wear a mask in the hot sun at 34 degrees Celsius. It is not easy to breathe with a mask on.

"Your editor jogs around the Savannah with no mask on. It is not that they don’t care. It is difficult to breathe.”

However, she supported physical distancing.

“We do comply. We stay our distance from people.

“Sometimes people come up to you and we tell them to ‘Keep your distance.’”

Newsday was unable to contact Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, whose social media photographs of her campaign activities show her sometimes sporting a mask and sometimes not.