US First Lady Reads Books to Young Patients Without Mask, Sparking Controversy

First Lady of the United States Melania Trump [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States, sparked controversy after reading a fairy tale book without wearing a mask at a children's hospital ahead of Christmas.

According to CNN and others on the 15th (local time), Melania visited the National Children's Hospital in Washington DC to participate in an event where she read fairy tale books to young patients.

Melania wore a mask when entering the event venue but took it off as she sat down to read the book.

CNN claimed that according to the National Children's Hospital policy, everyone must always wear a mask inside the hospital, and Melania violated this rule.

In response, the White House stated, "According to Washington DC guidelines, when speaking in front of an audience, if there is no one within 6 feet (about 1.8 m), wearing a mask is not required," adding, "In Melania's case, there was no one within 12 feet (about 3.6 m)."

The White House also said that all visitors related to the event wore masks, maintained social distancing, and that the number of participants was limited. In fact, only two children listened to the fairy tale in front of Melania that day.

The hospital also issued a similar explanation citing Washington DC health authority guidelines, but CNN pointed out that the hospital did not mention their own policy when making the statement.

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