'Start wearing a mask': Sen. Sherrod Brown chastises Sen. Rand Paul on Senate floor

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown once again called out his colleagues in the U.S. Senate on Thursday for not wearing face masks – this time a senator from a neighboring state.

During debate over a budget resolution, Brown briefly interrupted proceedings.

"... I would like to ask Senator Paul, in front of everybody, to start wearing a mask on the Senate floor like the entire staff does all the time," said Brown, a Democrat from Cleveland. "I wish Senator Paul would show the respect to his colleagues to wear a mask when he's on the Senate floor walking around and speaking."

Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Bowling Green, didn't respond to Brown's request and returned to his seat.

Paul, who has tested positive for COVID-19, previously has said people who've already contracted the virus should "throw away their masks," claiming that those people are immune from getting it a second time, the (Louisville) Courier-Journal reported.

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Reinfection of COVID-19 is possible, though it's rare, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

This isn't the first time Brown has publicly reprimanded his fellow senators for not wearing masks in the Senate chamber.

In November, Brown implored Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan to wear a mask while speaking, warning that Sullivan could be exposing Senate staff to COVID-19.

That provoked some ire from other GOP senators over social media.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that people wear masks while in public settings to limit person-to-person spread of COVID-19.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Sherrod Brown tells Rand Paul to wear a mask while on the Senate floor