A Republican lawmaker was told to leave the Gettysburg Museum in Pennsylvania on Thursday after she and her husband refused to wear face masks in the building.
Ohio state Rep. Candice Keller (R-Middletown) said on a Facebook post that her tickets were refunded after they declined to wear the protective gear, despite the Gettsyburg Foundation website clearly warning visitors that face coverings are mandatory.
In her post, Keller called requirements to wear face masks “unconstitutional” and suggested Americans were “losing their rights” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Ohio Republican had previously refused to have her temperature checked as she entered Ohio’ State House of Representatives.
Speaking to her followers in a Facebook video, Keller said: “We were asked to leave the Gettysburg welcome center because we refused to wear a face mask. This is not the law in Pennsylvania, nor yet in Ohio where I’m from, and it is an unconstitutional idea that our leaders have come up with.
“We chose not to cause a problem to the administrators of the Gettysburg welcome center, rather we got a refund on our tickets to go through the museum, and we left.”
The state lawmaker then went on to claim that Americans were “losing our rights” and called on others to “stand up to those who would diminish your freedoms” in her response to being asked to wear a face mask.
“I encourage you to speak out; to push against the madness,” she said. “We will not wear face masks when we are not sick.”
The Gettysburg Foundation released a statement saying: “Visitors to the Museum & Visitor Center are required to wear a face covering unless the person is under two-years of age or has a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a face covering.
They also noted that Pennsylvania joined other states in mandating the use of face masks in public spaces this week.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also urges Americans to cover their mouth and nose with a face covering when around others to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“Everyone should wear a cloth face cover in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain,” the CDC guidelines read.
Watch Keller’s video below:
