PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. - The Arizona Sheriff who said he would not enforce COVID-19 stay at home orders---or wear a mask, is now in quarantine---positive for the virus.
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb found out when he went to the White House.
When Arizona was under a stay-at-home order, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb said it was unconstitutional and he would not enforce it. He also said he would not wear a mask or require others to wear one.
He was invited to this gathering at the White House, where the President signed an executive order on police reform. He says he thought he was fine when he got to the White House, but standard precautions required a COVID test. It came back positive.
“I mean honestly my reaction was "you gotta be kidding me.”
They weren’t. So he was turned away from the White House ceremony, looking at two weeks of quarantine---and was a long way from home.
“You know I had two options. He was either stay in the hotel out in Washington DC, which I had no way of getting food or any of those things, or get in a vehicle and drive home and get back to you know where I knew I could do a proper quarantine and so that's what I did, you know obviously on the way I'd take a lot of precautionary measures, they tried cleaned everything I touch the bell, you know, didn't get close to anybody, and really minimize the amount of times I even stopped.”
Sheriff Lamb thinks he got infected at a campaign event last Saturday.
“We had it outdoors. We tried to create an atmosphere where everybody could practice six feet distance, all those things. I didn't see a ton of people with masks you know and I'm one of those guys that thinks that's kind of a personal preference thing for people.”
And he continues to say to mask or not to mask should not be up to the government. He says individuals should decide, but be responsible---wear a mask and stay home if you’re feeling sick.
Reaction on Facebook ranges from get well wishes to ripping Sheriff Lamb as a public safety official reckless about public safety.
He says when he’s well and out of quarantine he’ll still leave off his mask.
“I have learned that I need to do better on my social distancing so yes I have learned, and I'm going to try to do better on that.”
