Violet Affleck, the daughter of prominent Hollywood figures Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, recently addressed the United Nations, emphasizing the crucial role of mask mandates in curbing the spread of COVID-19 five years after the pandemic disrupted lives globally.
The 19-year-old Yale University student delivered her heartfelt message wearing a KN95 mask during the “Healthy Indoor Air: A Global Call to Action” event held at the UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
Affleck, who suffered from a post-viral condition in 2019, urged global leaders to recognize that the pandemic is still a pressing concern. She criticized the swift removal of mask mandates, saying it has led to an oversight of the ongoing crisis.
“We hear from those in charge that we are the future,” Violet stated. “Yet, with regards to the ongoing pandemic, our present is being taken from us without our consent.”
Violet called out the “adults” for their constant push toward a “return to normal,” asserting that they are “ignoring, minimizing, and hiding the reality of airborne transmission and the risks associated with Long Covid in their decision-making.”
“Young individuals were deprived of genuine choices and the knowledge regarding what’s being decided for us,” she remarked.
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Violet informed the assembly that evidence indicates SARS-CoV-2 spreads via airborne particles and can linger in indoor spaces, stating that “even a single infection could inflict irreversible damage on nearly every cell, affecting the brain, heart, nerves, and vascular systems.”
“Every subsequent infection heightens the long COVID risk and exacerbates the conditions for those already afflicted,” the 19-year-old emphasized.
Referencing Yale professor Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, she mentioned that, “in just five years, long COVID has overtaken asthma to become the most frequent chronic ailment among children under five.”
She expressed her “fear” that children could spread the virus in educational settings, potentially creating a future where they endure chronic pain and fatigue, unable to trust their own bodies to engage in play and exploration.
“I feel enraged on their behalf. It’s an extraordinary neglect to say to children, ‘We knew how to safeguard you, but we chose not to,’” the teenager proclaimed.
“We possess technology that can prevent airborne disease—a resource that countless ancestors and individuals around the world would long for, yet we refuse to utilize it.”
“I dread to consider where we might find ourselves in another five years filled with relentless infection cycles,” she cautioned, before pivoting to the public health advocacy against smoking.
“Many of you endured a challenging fight against indoor smoking. My only recollection of those times, at almost 20 years old, is being puzzled as a child by the no-smoking signs on airplanes. ‘Who would do that? That’s disgusting,’” she recounted.
Violet expressed her “hope” that society can start viewing filtered air as a fundamental human right, similar to how we regard filtered water.
“We can establish an infrastructure for clean air that is so pervasive and clearly essential, that future generations won’t even question its necessity,” she concluded.
Violet has been a strong advocate for mask mandates, especially after revealing last year that she developed a post-viral condition.
She has called for mask mandates in Los Angeles hospitals and urged local officials to allocate resources for Personal Protective Equipment in preparation for potential future health crises during a city council meeting in Los Angeles.
A post-viral condition, often referred to as “long COVID,” appears after viral infections, with symptoms that may persist for months, typically including fatigue, cognitive issues, memory impairment, and other debilitating effects as noted by the Mayo Clinic.
She has also contributed writings to the Yale Global Health Review, discussing her city’s coordinated response to COVID-19 and relevant climate change challenges.
Violet is the eldest of Affleck and Garner’s children, who divorced in 2015 after a decade of marriage. They also share two other children: Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.
