Sen. Rand Paul and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Suspended on Social Media Over COVID Misinformation

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Republican lawmakers Rand Paul, a Kentucky senator, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, a U.S. representative from Georgia have been suspended on two separate social media platforms for spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

On Tuesday, YouTube prohibited Paul, 58, from uploading new content to its site for seven days after the Kentucky Republican suggested that masks "don't work" in combatting the coronavirus in a video posted last week.

"We apply our policies consistently across the platform, regardless of speaker or political views, and we make exceptions for videos that have additional context such as countervailing views from local health authorities," a representative for YouTube said in a statement, according to The New York Times.

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In the since-deleted clip, Paul said, "Most of the masks you get over the counter don't work. They don't prevent infection." He later stated that "trying to shape human behavior isn't the same as following the actual science, which tells us that cloth masks don't work."

RELATED: Dr. Fauci Tells Rand Paul, 'You Do Not Know What You Are Talking About' in Another Heated Exchange

Greene, 47, was punished by Twitter for the third time this year on Tuesday after tweeting that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration "should not approve the covid vaccines" — which she claimed are "failing" — on Monday.

A company spokesperson said the tweet "was labeled in line with our COVID-19 misleading information policy," according to CNN. The Georgia Republican's account has been restricted to read-only mode for the next seven days.

Twitter suspended Greene in January as well for sharing conspiracy theories about the Georgia Senate runoff elections. She was suspended again for 12 hours on July 19 for sharing additional misinformation about Covid-19 and vaccines.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

In her tweets, Greene falsely claimed on social media that COVID-19 is "not dangerous for non-obese people and those under 65" and likened the vaccine rollout to "human experimentation." The tweets have since received a tag that reads: "This Tweet is misleading. Learn why health officials recommend a vaccine for most people," and a link to more verified information.

RELATED: Dr. Fauci Defends the Importance of Wearing Masks to Sen. Rand Paul: 'Here We Go Again'

According to Twitter's ​​enforcement policy outlined in March, a 12-hour account lock is the result of two and three strikes. Four strikes justify a weeklong account lock. Five or more strikes trigger a permanent suspension.

Social media isn't the only place Greene and Paul are sparking criticism with their rhetoric about the virus. Paul has challenged Dr. Anthony Fauci numerous times during Senate hearings about COVID-19.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends vaccinated individuals resume wearing masks in public as coronavirus cases skyrocket across the country. The Delta variant has ravaged the United States in recent weeks and is now the country's dominant strain, according to data from the agency.

Susan Walsh/AP/Bloomberg via Getty; Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Dr. Anthony Fauci (left) and Sen. Rand Paul

In March, when the recommendation was not in place, the Kentucky lawmaker asked Fauci, 80, if it was truly necessary for vaccinated individuals to wear masks in public if they are inoculated.

The nation's leading infectious disease expert made it clear that face coverings "are not theater."

"Masks are protective," Fauci told Paul before suggesting the Senator had misunderstood the medical studies he cited in his argument.

RELATED: Marjorie Taylor Greene Locked Out of Twitter Account for 'Misleading' COVID-19 Vaccine Claims

"When you talk about reinfection and you don't keep in the concept of variants, that's an entirely different ball game," Fauci said. "That's a good reason for a mask."

Paul tested positive for COVID-19 two days later, becoming the first Senator to do so.

In June, Greene landed in hot water after comparing mask requirements on Capitol Hill to the Holocaust. She later apologized for the remark after visiting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

Erin Scott-Pool/Getty Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Greene also is one of three GOP representatives suing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after being fined for not wearing their masks for a vote on the House floor shortly after the CDC released guidelines stating "fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing."

Dr. Brian Monahan, Congress' attending physician, had told lawmakers that "mask requirement and other guidelines remain unchanged until all Members and floor staff are fully vaccinated."

As of Wednesday, 50.3 percent of the U.S. populace is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 58.9% have received at least one shot.