Christie says he spent 7 days in ICU — admits he was ‘wrong’ to go without mask at White House

Former governor is now strong proponent of face coverings, but still favors reopening of economy

Former Gov. Chris Christie said Thursday that he spent seven days in intensive care at Morristown Medical Center for treatment for COVID-19 — an experience he said taught him that the virus should be taken seriously and that every public official should advocate for wearing masks in public.

Those were just some of the observations Christie made in an eight-paragraph statement he released late in the day.

While Christie said, “No one should be happy to get the virus and no one should be cavalier about being infected or infecting others,” he did not call for more restrictions. Far from it.

Christie said the goal should be to both encourage mask wearing — and other safety measures — but to reopen the economy at the same time.

“Every public official, regardless of party or position, should advocate for every American to wear a mask in public, appropriately socially distance and to wash your hands frequently every day,” he said. “At the same time, we should be reopening in every corner of this nation under these guidelines. Reopen all those places which have taken the brunt of these shutdowns and allow our country to get back to a life where citizens can support their families using common sense.

“Even during a contentious election year, we must trust the American people with the truth. I believe that these two steps can bring our country together while our pharmaceutical companies invent the therapeutics and vaccines which will rid us of this virus.”

Christie also said he was wrong to not wear a mask at the White House, when he was there to prep President Donald Trump for the debate or in connection with events involving the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“I was wrong,” he said. “I was wrong to not wear a mask at the Amy Coney Barrett announcement and I was wrong not to wear a mask at my multiple debate prep sessions with the president and the rest of the team.”

In the end, Christie said he is holding out hope that the pandemic ultimately can bring the country together.

“While we may seem very divided today, I do believe we can use this public health tragedy to bring us together,” he said. “It is never too late to start. It will take leadership that both challenges and trusts the American people. After all, we are America, the world’s greatest hope.”

The following is his statement:

“I am happy and fortunate to inform you that I have recovered from COVID-19.

Before this good news, however, I spent 7 days in the Intensive Care Unit of Morristown Medical Center to get treatment and insure this good result for me and my family. I want to thank the doctors and nurses for their skillful and compassionate care. I want to thank the manufacturers of Remdesivir and the Eli Lilly monoclonal antibody cocktail for giving me access to their extraordinary treatments. I am confident that all of those factors contributed to my good health today.

When you have seven days in isolation in an ICU, though, you have time to do a lot of thinking. I did and have come to the following conclusions:

  • I believed that when I entered the White House grounds, that I had entered a safe zone, due to the testing that and I and many others underwent every day. I was wrong. I was wrong to not wear a mask at the Amy Coney Barrett announcement and I was wrong not to wear a mask at my multiple debate prep sessions with the president and the rest of the team. I hope that my experience shows my fellow citizens that you should follow CDC guidelines in public no matter where you are and wear a mask to protect yourself and others.
  • Having had this virus, I can also assure those who have not had it of a few things. It is something to take very seriously. The ramifications are wildly random and potentially deadly. No one should be happy to get the virus and no one should be cavalier about being infected or infecting others.
  • But, as a former public official, I believe we have not treated Americans as adults, who understand truth, sacrifice and responsibility that I know them to be. I have also concluded that, like much else in 2020, that the virus is governed by our two dominant political and media extremes: those who believe there is nothing to this virus and those alarmists who would continue to close down our country and not trust the common sense of the American people. Both are wrong. This is not an either/or proposition. The public health consequences of ignoring the virus and the responsible safeguards that we need to take will be additional illness and death caused by COVID-19. The public policy consequences of continuing to shut down or re-shut down our country will be further economic devastation to families, even more loss of education by our students and the continuing loss of life through the drug abuse, suicide and depression caused by taking away people’s ability to support their families. There is another way.
  • Every public official, regardless of party or position, should advocate for every American to wear a mask in public, appropriately socially distance and to wash your hands frequently every day. At the same time, we should be reopening in every corner of this nation under these guidelines. Reopen all those places which have taken the brunt of these shutdowns and allow our country to get back to a life where citizens can support their families using common sense. Even during a contentious election year, we must trust the American people with the truth. I believe that these two steps can bring our country together while our pharmaceutical companies invent the therapeutics and vaccines which will rid us of this virus.

While we may seem very divided today, I do believe we can use this public health tragedy to bring us together. It is never too late to start. It will take leadership that both challenges and trusts the American people. After all, we are America, the world’s greatest hope.”