(Radio Iowa) — Senator Chuck Grassley says he’ll attend events in 29 different Iowa counties over the next two weeks — and he’ll be wearing a face covering everywhere he goes and encouraging others to do the same. “To make sure everyone stays healthy and safe, we’ll be following CDC and Iowa state public health guidelines,” Grassley says, “including social distancing and wearing masks at all these meetings.” A crowd booed Muscatine’s mayor yesterday (Sunday) and called her a tyrant when she mandated face coverings be worn in public places in Muscatine. Grassley has recently been tweeting about the importance of wearing a face mask in the nation’s capitol.  “If you’ve followed me in my 40 years of politics in the Senate, you probably have heard me say: ‘Well, if there are no known negatives, you ought to do it.’ Now, that would deal with political and governmental things,” Grassley says, “but the same principle can apply to wearing a face mask.”

Grassley is encouraging all Iowans to wear a mask or face covering when they’re not at home. “I have a responsibility as a citizen not to infect somebody else, so if wearing a face mask might not protect me, but it’s going to protect somebody else, I ought to be doing it,” Grassley says.

Grassley has posted a picture of himself on Instagram wearing a purple face mask with the University of Northern Iowa emblem on it. “I don’t know of any negatives except it looks awful on people and I’d rather see their face than see a mask, but we’re in a whole different environment now and I want to do my share,” Grassley says. “…A US Senator…we don’t often get a chance to set a good example. This is one example we can set.”

Grassley says wearing a mask shows you are thinking about others and sacrificing for your neighbors and loved ones.