Violet Affleck, the 18-year-old daughter of actors Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, spoke in defense of COVID-19 masks at a meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 9.Mayor Karen Bass said she was considering a mask ban for protests after a recent pro-Palestine protest outside a synagogue in Los Angeles.During her one-minute address to the board, Affleck also revealed that she contracted a post-viral condition in 2019 that leaves her at greater risk of illness.“Hi, Violet Affleck … first-time voter. I’m 18. I contracted a post-viral condition in 2019. I’m okay 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. One in 10 infections leads to long COVID, which is a devastating neurological, cardiovascular illness that can take away people’s ability to work, move, see, and even think. It stands to exacerbate our homelessness crisis, as well as the suffering of many people in our city. It hits communities of color, disabled people, elderly people, trans people, women, and anyone in a public-facing, essential job the hardest.“To confront the long COVID crisis, I demand mask availability, air filtration and far-UVC light in government facilities, including at jails and detention centers, and mask mandates in county medical facilities. You must expand the availability of high-quality free tests 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.” Credit: LA County Board of Supervisors via Storyful