Violet Affleck, daughter of the Hollywood stars Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, was photographed by paparazzi last month walking in Los Angeles with her mother. In the photos, she was wearing an N95 face mask, as she often is in public. Perhaps not remarkable in and of itself, but some online had questions.
“Why Does Violet Affleck Always Wear a Mask? Explained,” promised one recent headline. The article speculated that privacy, an indeterminate medical condition and “personal expression” were among the reasons for her choice.
On Tuesday, Ms. Affleck, 18, appeared to offer an answer. Speaking during the public comment portion of a meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, she revealed why she wears a mask while also demanding greater public access to masks.
“I contracted a post-viral condition in 2019,” she said. “I’m OK now, but I saw firsthand that medicine does not always have answers to the consequences of even minor viruses.”
Speaking briskly — her whole speech clocked in at just 59 seconds — Ms. Affleck warned about the risks of long Covid, a serious medical condition that can cause brain fog, chronic fatigue and other health issues, and is thought to affect millions of Americans. Ms. Affleck, a recent high school graduate who appears to be bound for Yale in the fall, called on officials to make masks available in government buildings, hospitals and jails.
“I demand mask availability, air filtration and far UV-C light in government facilities, including jails and detention centers, and mask mandates in county medical facilities,” she said. “We must expand the availability of high-quality free tests and treatment and most importantly, the county must oppose mask bans for any reason.”
It is unclear if this was the first time Ms. Affleck addressed her concerns publicly to an elected body. Representatives for Ms. Affleck’s parents did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday afternoon.
More than four years since the coronavirus pandemic ravaged the world with millions of deaths and prolonged lockdowns, many are still wearing masks to fight the spread of the virus, while most have resumed regular, mask-free programming. Masks are proven to protect against the transmission of Covid-19 and other airborne viruses.
Ms. Affleck’s concerns about Covid have been apparent this year before this meeting. In May, Ms. Affleck was captured in paparazzi photos wearing a mask and carrying “The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide,” by Steven Thrasher, who writes about the disproportionate impact of diseases on marginalized communities. He also posted the photo on X.
Photographers captured Ms. Affleck carrying a face mask last month, when she was having lunch with Jennifer Lopez, her father’s wife. And last year, she was spotted by a fan wearing an N95 mask while attending a Broadway play with her father and Ms. Lopez (they did not appear to be wearing masks).
Ms. Affleck may be responding to recent discussion about potential mask bans that local leaders across the country have been weighing out of concern that people are using them to conceal their identities.
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said last month that she and her team had begun to consider reinstating a prepandemic ban on face masks on the subway to combat crime, citing a recent increase in antisemitism.
Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles also announced in June that officials was looking at possibly banning masks at protests in response to pro-Palestinian protests in the city, despite a recent rise in Covid cases in the area.
