Violet Affleck may be a relatively new member of the Los Angeles voting community, but she is already putting her voice to use.
The 18-year-old daughter of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner gave an impassioned speech at a regularly scheduled meeting of the LA County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, July 9. In the rare public appearance, Violet spoke about the importance of mask availability, among other methods of maintaining public safety amid COVID-19.
She stepped up to the microphone once residents were allowed to make public comments. There, Violet revealed that she herself had dealt with the ramifications of a post-viral condition in 2019, after contracting COVID-19. "I'm OK now, but I saw firsthand that medicine does not always have answers to the consequences of even minor viruses. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown that into sharper relief," she said.
"One in 10 infections leads to long COVID, which is a devastating neurological and cardiovascular illness that can take away people's ability to work, see, move and even think," Violet continued. She also explained that vulnerable communities across the United States are the ones who are being hit hardest by this. "To confront the long COVID crisis, I demand mask availability, air filtration and far-UVC lights in government facilities, including jails and detention centers, and mask mandates in county medical facilities," Violet said at the meeting.
The teenager had to speak quickly to contain her speech to the allotted time frame for the public. She called for the expansion of the availability of free tests, as well as treatment, but came out most fervently against mask bans. "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. Thank you," she concluded.
Post-viral conditions occur after contracting a virus, such as COVID-19, and can lead to respiratory, neurological, psychological, and cardiac problems, such as fatigue, brain fog, headaches, dizziness upon standing, loss of smell, and more, per Yale Medicine.
Long COVID is categorized as new, persistent, or recurring symptoms that occur at least four or more weeks after the initial infection with COVID-19. Stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, Dave Navarro, and Alyssa Milano have also spoken about the "pretty wild" symptoms they had to deal with due to long COVID.
Violet is the oldest daughter of exes Affleck and Garner, who also share Finn, 15, and Samuel, 12. The couple, who tied the knot in June 2005, divorced in 2018.
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