Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck's daughter Violet speaks out against mask bans at public hearing
Violet Affleck, the eldest of Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck's three children, is following in her parents' footsteps in speaking out for what she believes.
The normally private 18-year-old spoke publicly Tuesday at a meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to argue against mask bans amid ongoing cases of COVID-19.
Violet Affleck wore a face mask as she took to the microphone at the meeting and introduced herself, saying, "Hi, Violet Affleck, Los Angeles resident, first-time voter. I'm 18."
The teenager, who graduated from high school in May, went onto say that she contracted what she described as a "post-viral condition" in 2019, prior to the coronavirus pandemic that started the next year.
"I'm OK now, but I saw firsthand that medicine does not always have answers to the consequences of even minor viruses," she said. "The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown that into sharper relief."
Violet Affleck went onto cite statistics about the condition known as long COVID-19, which is diagnosed when patients still have symptoms at least four weeks after they have cleared the infection, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Data shows that millions of Americans are still experiencing long COVID More than four years since the global COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic.
Violet Affleck told the five-member board of supervisors, which governs Los Angeles County, that bans on face masks -- such as those implemented or being considered in places like North Carolina, New York City and Los Angeles itself -- should be opposed, and that steps should be taken to protect county residents against COVID-19 and the impacts of long COVID.
"To confront the long COVID crisis, I demand mask availability, air filtration and far-UVC light in government facilities, including jails and detention centers, and mask mandates in county medical facilities," she said. "You must expand the availability of high-quality free testing and treatment, and, most importantly, the county must oppose mask bans for any reason. They do not keep us safer. They make vulnerable members of our community less safe and make everyone less able to participate in Los Angeles together."
Violet Affleck received a similar response to other residents who spoke at the hearing when she finished her remarks, with a board member telling her, "Thank you very much for being here today."
The high school graduate is often seen wearing a face mask when she's out in public, though neither she nor her parents have commented publicly on the matter previously.
In addition to Violet, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, who divorced in 2018, share two other children, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.
Ben Affleck is also a stepfather to the two children of his current wife, Jennifer Lopez.
Earlier this summer, North Carolina lawmakers overrode a veto by the state's Democratic governor to implement restrictions on public mask-wearing, restoring a carveout for those with medical exemptions following pushback from disability rights advocates.
The new law, which allows people to wear a "medical or surgical grade mask for the purpose of preventing the spread of contagious disease," still requires wearers to remove masks "upon request by a law enforcement officer" or to verify ID.
The law also makes exceptions for masks worn as part of a costume or for rituals or ceremonies, theatrical productions, gas masks or employment-based personal safety. The law increases penalties and sentences for anyone convicted of a misdemeanor or felony while wearing a mask.
Other states are weighing similar mask measures, including New York, where Gov. Kathy Hochul said recently that she is considering a ban on masks on the subway.
