If you thought Sarah Palin‘s appearance on The Masked Singer was her most surprising public performance yet, the die-hard conservative has come out in support of wearing masks and getting vaccinated after being hit with COVID-19. In a new interview with PEOPLE, Palin urged Americans to take the pandemic seriously after it hit her family in remote Alaska, citing herself as proof that “anyone can catch this.” Despite being a well-known Donald Trump supporter, which often goes hand-in-hand with protesting COVID regulations and refusing to wear a mask, Palin is urging Americans to do everything in their power to take the threat of the virus seriously, which includes masking up and signing up for the vaccine:
“I strongly encourage everyone to use common sense to avoid spreading this and every other virus out there,” she says in her statement. “There are more viruses than there are stars in the sky, meaning we’ll never avoid every source of illness or danger … But please be vigilant, don’t be frightened, and I advise reprioritizing some personal time and resources to ensure as healthy a lifestyle as you can create so when viruses do hit, you have at least some armor to fight it.”
While Palin hasn’t been as actively vocal about downplaying the threat of COVID as other Republican politicians, she did play her part in protesting lockdown measures. The former vice-presidential candidate visited a Dallas salon after the conservative owner was jailed for refusing to close during the early months of the pandemic in 2020. Palin can be seen at the salon without a mask on below:
However, the fact that a prominent conservative like Palin is now taking the virus seriously should, hopefully, encourage other Republicans to do the same.
(Via PEOPLE)