Mississippi Mayor Has A Blunt Message For Coronavirus Conspiracy Theorists

The mayor of a small city in Mississippi is winning praise on social media for deftly calling out all the latest right-wing conspiracy theories. 

Jason Shelton, the Democratic mayor of Tupelo the birthplace of Elvis posted a message on Facebook to urge his city’s residents to listen to healthcare professionals and wear masks to stop the spread of the coronavirus . 

Last week, Shelton signed an order requiring face coverings for most people in indoor public and business spaces.

“My job as mayor is do to my best to keep our community safe, not make easy or politically popular decisions,” he wrote, then added: 

“Also, ANTIFA is not coming to Tupelo, Elvis statues are not being removed, you are not the target of some type of global conspiracy, it is impossible to erase history and no one has attempted to do so, COVID is not a hoax, you shouldn’t believe and share posts that are obviously false or used as political propaganda, and there is nothing ‘liberal’ about any of the actions that have been taken by our administration regarding these matters.”

Here’s his full post:

The wearing of masks has become a political flashpoint. President Donald Trump has, for the most part, shunned wearing one himself despite advice from his own experts to do so. 

In recent weeks, people who’ve refused to wear masks in stores have become loud, confrontational and in some cases violent .