**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
**NEW YORK, NY** – In a statement released earlier today by her legal team, Violet Rose Affleck, 19-year-old daughter of actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, has publicly requested that Los Angeles County establishments and public venues adopt a mandatory masking policy to protect immunocompromised individuals from the continued spread of respiratory illnesses.
**THE BASICS**
- **WHO:** Violet Rose Affleck, eldest child of actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner.
- **WHAT:** Issued a formal public statement and letter directed to Los Angeles County officials and business owners, urging the reinstatement of indoor mask mandates in healthcare facilities, government buildings, and high-traffic public spaces.
- **WHERE:** The statement was delivered to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and released to the press on Monday.
- **WHEN:** The request was made public on the afternoon of July 15, 2024, coinciding with the start of summer public health advisories.
- **WHY:** Citing her personal experience contracting a severe case of Long COVID in 2023, which resulted in hospitalization and lasting cognitive and respiratory complications, Affleck argues that current voluntary guidelines are insufficient to protect vulnerable populations, including the elderly, the chronically ill, and children.
**THE CONTEXT**
In the letter, Affleck describes her own health battle, stating that she "nearly died" from complications of the virus and remains at high risk for reinfection. She references data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicating that Los Angeles County continues to see elevated wastewater levels of COVID-19 variants. The request calls for a temporary indoor mask mandate to be reinstated until transmission rates fall below "substantial" thresholds as defined by public health authorities.
**THE REACTION**
The request has generated immediate, polarized reaction. Public health advocates, including several infectious disease specialists at UCLA and USC, have voiced support, citing the ongoing risk of new variants. Conversely,