Mattis urges people to wear masks in PSA about ‘nasty little virus’

Former Defense Secretary James Mattis appeared in a public service announcement for his hometown of Richland, Wash., urging residents to wear face masks to stop the spread of coronavirus. 

“Hello neighbors, I’m Jim Mattis,” Mattis said, wearing a bandana on his neck. “I’m here to talk about that nasty little virus, COVID.”

In the 30-second video posted to the city’s Youtube account, Mattis said “it’s clear this little bugger isn’t going away on its own.”

“Wear those face coverings, and let’s work together on this to beat COVID,” Mattis said.

On Tuesday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) issued a statewide mandate requiring face masks after the state experienced another surge in cases. As of Wednesday, the state has reported 28,870 coronavirus cases and 1,276 deaths. 

Mattis, a retired four-star Marine general, resigned from his post as Defense secretary in 2018 after President Trump announced plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. 

Mattis was highly critical of Trump’s handling of nationwide protests after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody.