Pence defends not wearing a mask when visiting the Mayo Clinic, saying he's regularly tested

• Vice President Mike Pence claimed he didn't have to wear a face mask at the Mayo Clinic because he is regularly tested for the coronavirus.
• In a deleted tweet, The Mayo Clinic said it informed Pence of their rule to wear a face mask before his visit.
• This isn't the first time Pence did not follow guidance on limiting the spread of the coronavirus.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Vice President Mike Pence defended his refusal to wear a face mask at the Mayo Clinic noting he is regularly tested for the coronavirus.

"As vice president of the United States I'm tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus," Pence said, according to NBC. "Since I don't have the coronavirus, I thought it'd be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers these incredible healthcare personnel and look them in the eye and say thank you."

On Tuesday, Pence visited the Mayo Clinic's headquarters in Rochester, Minnesota, and went against its requirement that visitors are to wear face coverings.

"The Mayo Clinic tweeted but then deleted a message that it "informed" Pence about its face-mask policy before his visit," Business Insider previously reported.

Per guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the clinic has required all patients and visitors to wear a mask or other face-covering since April 13.

Pence, the head of the White House's coronavirus task force, has previously ignored recommendations by health experts on how to limit the spread of the virus.

Pence also did not wear a mask when greeting Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on his way to the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony on April 18 or when visiting a General Electric factory producing ventilators in Wisconsin on April 21.

According to The New York Times, the Vice President felt that because he tested negative for the coronavirus and had no symptoms that he wasn't required to wear a face mask. However, the Times added that just because he tested negative, doesn't mean he still can't contract the highly contagious virus or even have a false negative test.

"When the face-covering guidelines were developed, it was with the intention to not only protect yourself, but primarily to protect others from asymptomatic spread," Katie Miller, Pence's spokeswoman, told The Times. "Vice President Pence is negative for Covid-19 and is therefore not asymptomatic."