US Health Official Says "Don't Touch Your Face" but Controversy Arises After Spitting on Hand

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] A video showing a U.S. health official applying saliva to his hand and turning pages of a document right after mentioning COVID-19 safety guidelines is spreading on social networking services (SNS), sparking controversy.

On the 5th (local time), The Washington Post (WP) reported that videos of U.S. politicians and health officials violating preventive measures are circulating on social media. Sarah Cody, the health officer of Santa Clara County, California, introduced the preventive guideline "Do not touch your face with your hands" during a press conference on the 28th of last month. Less than a minute later, she unconsciously licked her finger and turned the pages of her speech. The video capturing her action quickly spread on Twitter, with over 4.5 million people reportedly sharing the footage.

Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also became the subject of controversy. When asked by reporters about COVID-19, Representative Ocasio-Cortez responded, "If you keep touching your face without washing your hands, even a mask won't protect you," while repeatedly touching her nose and brushing her hair unconsciously.

President Donald Trump joked on the 4th, "I haven't touched my face for weeks. I miss that (touching my face)," but on Twitter, photos showing President Trump stroking his face recently were circulated, refuting his claim.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.