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Phil Murphy: National Mask Requirement ‘Almost Not Even Debatable’

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Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said a national requirement to wear face masks is “almost not even debatable.”

During a wider conversation with on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about tightening restrictions in the face of a spike in coronavirus cases, guest-anchor Andrea Mitchell asked Murphy if he thinks “there should be a national mask requirement.”

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“I do, Andrea,” Murphy responded. “It’s become almost not even debatable. Certainly when you’re going out and absolutely indoors. As I mentioned this virus is more lethal inside than outside. When you leave your house put on a mask. I think there ought to be a national requirement.”

Murphy said he had “nothing but sympathy” for restaurants forced to delay opening inside dining and called for more “direct federal cash assistance,” but insisted “we literally lose lives” when people dine inside.

“When you combine indoors, lack of ventilation, sedentary, close proximity and by definition you have to take your mask off to eat, and those are bad facts. We’re just not there yet,” Murphy said. “We’ll get there, I hope, but we’re not ready for it.” (RELATED: ‘Sloppy Thinking’: Stanford’s Scott Atlas Rips Lockdown And Mask-Wearing Proponents For Denying Science And Ignoring Data)

Other Democratic leaders, including presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have also called for a mandatory mask requirement.

However, Judge Andrew Napolitano explained during a Fox News appearance last month that they could have difficulty getting such a requirement to pass constitutional muster through the courts.