GENE SIMMONS: Why Masks Should Be Mandatory, Not Optional

Gene Simmons has once again blasted people who are defiantly skeptical of mask wearing, saying they are posing a risk to themselves and to all those around them. On Friday (March 19),the KISS bassist/vocalist took to his Twitter to write: "You must stop at a red light, and you must put on your seatbelt, and you can't drive over the speed limit. Your rights stop if you effect others. So why should you have a say in not wearing a mask in public?"

He added in a separate tweet: "Another question for all you geniuses out there. Why is it ALL surgeons, without exception...anywhere in the world, wear masks during surgery!!! Do you think they do that for political reasons, or could it be you are delusional and are hanging out with losers. . What say you?"

A day earlier, Gene revealed that he got the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. He wrote in a tweet: "Just got our 2nd vaccine shots. Feeling no after effect. Please take the vaccine, to protect others and yourself. And ignore conspiracy lunatics. The Earth is not flat. The Earth is actually round."

This is not the first time Simmons has criticized people who refuse to wear a mask in public spaces to protect others from possible infection. Last December, he told the "Jeremy White Podcast": "Believe what you want, but don't hang out around me. Okay? If you're a denier, stay in the shadows. I don't wanna be around you. 'Cause I don't wanna catch what you've got. It's not about you. It's not whether you believe it or not." He added: "When you sneeze, you put your hand over your mouth. If your dog poops on the ground, you'll pick it up. But you won't pick up a mask?"

That same month, Gene's KISS bandmate Paul Stanley took to his Twitter to write: "Frankly, I've had enough of the self-serving & politically motivated mask misinformation & BS about this pandemic. I don't want to hear about 'my freedom' & 'my rights' that then infringe on so many other's. Those 'rights' & choosing to gather at Thanksgiving got us here. Wake up". Three months earlier, Paul tweeted out a CNN article about an Idaho pastor who was hospitalized with COVID-19 after calling himself a "no-masker" during a service and repeatedly questioning the veracity of coronavirus case reporting. Stanley added in a message: "YOU figure this one out. I can't. A hoax and non-existent virus has put this guy in the ICU. If you're so concerned with a loss of your freedom , Why do you stop at red lights? Don't let the government control you!! Drive right through!!! PUT YOUR MASK ON."

In early July, Stanley shared a photo of him and his eight-year-old daughter Emily wearing masks, and he included the following message: "Sunset at the beach with Emily. WEAR YOUR MASK! Don't listen to conspiracy theorists or graduates of The Internet University Of Medicine. While the credible authorities and experts continue to learn more about Covid 19 they remain in agreement about safety protocols. End of story".

The only Americans who should forego masks are those who have already been fully vaccinated and they should only do so among other vaccinated people, according to guidance how fully vaccinated people can socialize released this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser for the White House's COVID-19 response, recently said even though long-term mask-wearing is a possibility, he expects the U.S. to regain "a significant degree of normality" as we enter the fall and winter.