Twitter removes Trump medical adviser's post saying masks don't work

This article is more than 12 months old

Oct 20, 2020 06:00 am

WASHINGTON: Twitter on Sunday removed a "misleading" tweet downplaying the efficacy of masks posted by a top coronavirus adviser to President Donald Trump, while US cases surged before the Nov 3 election.

Dr Scott Atlas continued to minimise the importance of masks with a Twitter post on Saturday, saying, "Masks work? NO". Twitter removed the tweet on Sunday, saying it violated its misleading information policy on Covid-19, which targets statements that have been confirmed to be false or misleading by subject-matter experts.

The White House had no immediate comment. Mr Atlas has downplayed the wearing of masks, a measure that has been widely endorsed by health experts but not enthusiastically promoted by the president.

More than 69,400 cases were reported on Friday. Total US cases have surpassed 8 million. - REUTERS