The Terminator is not a fan of anti-vaxxers or anti-maskers.
In an interview on Tuesday with CNN's Bianna Golodryga and former National Security Council staffer Alexander Vindman, actor and former California Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made clear he's sick and tired of disinformation hampering the response to the pandemic.
But there's more.
He's just as tired with Americans who can't seem to accept their actions affect other people.
You can hear Schwarzenegger's comments in the video below.
Yesterday while I was talking with @AVindman and @biannagolodryga about Alex\u2019s new book, I was asked about my comment about COVID misinformation that all of you are sharing. Here was my answer:pic.twitter.com/8LKhPIJ1Eu— Arnold (@Arnold) 1628708188
Schwarzenegger said:
"A year and a half later, we are still in a mess and there are still people living in denial."
"There are still people that don't believe in masks, there are still people out there who say, 'Well, we don't have to do social distancing,' and all this kind of stuff."
He then slammed people who insist their refusal to wear a mask or get vaccinated is a matter of respecting personal freedom.
"The only way we prevent it is we get vaccinated, we wear masks, we do social distancing, washing your hands all of the time, and not just to think about, 'Well, my freedom is being kind of disturbed here'."
"No, screw your freedom."
"Because with freedom comes obligations and responsibilities."
Schwarzenegger called on Americans to put aside their political differences, listen to medical professionals and public health experts, wear masks and get vaccinated.
He also pointed out there are plenty of things people do every single day to protect themselves and other people, such as respecting traffic laws while driving.
"You cannot just say, 'I have the right to do x, y, and z,' when you affect other people. That is when it gets serious."
"It's like, no different than a traffic light. They put the traffic light in the intersection so someone doesn't kill someone else by accident."
"You cannot say, 'No one is going to tell me that I'm going to stop here, I'm going to go right through it.' Yeah, then you kill someone else."
"It is the same thing with the virus."
"You cannot go and not put the mask on because when you breathe you can infect someone else, and you can infect someone that then gets sick and may die."
"So this is why I think we all have to work together on this..."
"We have to come together rather than fighting and always just saying, 'According to my principles this is a free country and I have the freedom to wear no mask'."
"Yeah, you have the freedom to wear no mask, but you know something?"
"You're a schmuck for not wearing a mask."
Schwarzenegger was widely praised for his comments.
They come as much of the nation is experiencing another surge of the highly transmissible Delta variant.
Well said Arnold! Screw your \u201cfreedom\u201d is your \u201cfreedom\u201d means endangering the life of others!— Obi Wan Two Three (@Obi Wan Two Three) 1628708598
You've been my idol since Conan the Barbarian. Thank you for standing up for what's right.— Jose Fernandez (@Jose Fernandez) 1628756308
Spot on. If you infect someone else, you are taking away their freedom. Their freedom to enjoy good health, their freedom to breathe comfortably, for those with other ailments, their freedom to recover, even their freedom to live. Your freedom should not take away their freedoms.— Declan McCann (@Declan McCann) 1628759850
You're absolutely right. Following public health directives are there to protect you & people around you. You have a responsibility to society. Freedom doesn't mean that you can put other people's health & life at risk. Vaccinate, use masks &social distance when necessary.— Allan Sonac (@Allan Sonac) 1628744115
Arnold is right. \nAnd this pandemic shows a sad fact: \u201cThe egoism of human beings.\u201d\nA lot of people just care about their self. And vaccinated people have to justify their decision.— Matthias Baumg\u00e4rtner (@Matthias Baumg\u00e4rtner) 1628710175
I am happy that you put it out there thank you so much. People need to take Covid seriously there life depends on it. It only takes 1 person to infect many times it x 4 x4x4 over and over again till the vicious cycle of Covid gets more out of control.— elizabeth lopez (@elizabeth lopez) 1628714676
People tend to forget that with freedom comes responsibility.\nWe live in a society, and that society has rules. \nFollowing those rules is what allows that society to thrive as a whole. You can't have the rights if you don't accept the rules.\nThank you for being a voice of reason.— Mr. Spock \ud83d\udd96 (@Mr. Spock \ud83d\udd96) 1628729955
Thank you for putting yourselves out there! Problem is there are way to many people eating an extra bowl of stupid for breakfast! Until scientists create a vaccine for common sense and respect for others, I\u2019m afraid your words will mostly fall on deaf ears!— Susan Baldwin (@Susan Baldwin) 1628798652
You can watch the full interview here:
Schwarzenegger is correct.
Vaccines have been proven to save lives even with Delta variant breakthrough infections. Vaccines prevent severe illness, hospitalizations and death.
And while masks are not a substitute for social distancing, they help protect you and those around you to help prevent respiratory droplets from infecting others. Studies show masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) evidence for the effectiveness of mask wearing is listed on its website.
The agency also recently issued updated guidance for fully vaccinated people based on new evidence after studying the Delta variant.
