"I should have worn a mask at the Mayo Clinic," Pence said later during the interview.
Mayo Clinic staff briefed Pence's team about the mask policy before his visit last Tuesday.
Pence appeared bare-faced as he met with an employee who had recovered from the virus. Everyone else in the room was wearing a mask. He later participated in a round-table discussion where he was the only person not wearing a mask.
Pence defended the move immediately after the incident.
“As vice president of the United States I’m tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus,” Pence said. “And since I don’t have the coronavirus, I thought it’d be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible health care personnel, and look them in the eye and say ‘thank you.’”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that Americans wear cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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