South Dakota healthcare CEO says he had COVID-19 but won’t wear a mask at work: report

© AP Photo / Dirk Lammers
Kelby Krabbenhoft, CEO of Sanford Health, announces $ 125 million donation from philanthropist T. Deny Sanford to establish program for integrating genetics into primary care and internal medicine on Tuesday, January 7, 2014 in Sioux Falls , SD. Photo AP / Dirk Lammers

The debate over whether or not to wear a mask to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus is over for the CEO of a South Dakota healthcare system.

Kelby Krabbenhoft of Sanford Health wrote in an email to staff that he had suffered COVID-19 but had returned to work and would not wear a mask.

In the email, obtained by CNN, Krabbenhoft said that “for me, wearing a mask defies the effectiveness and purpose of a mask and sends a false message that I am susceptible to infection or that I could pass it on. ”

He added: “I have no interest in using masks as a symbolic gesture,” CNN reported.

Currently, the United States Centers for Disease Control recommends wearing a mask, even if someone has had COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus that first appeared in China in 2019 and that has sickened over 12 million Americans. It is not known whether an episode of COVID-19 confers immunity on a patient.

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South Dakota is in the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak as the United States girds itself for a tough winter fighting the pandemic ahead of hoped-for vaccinations that could come into effect in early 2020. Governor Kristi Noem did not use the power of the state government to compel the wearing of a mask.

Sanford Health backed away from Krabbenhoft’s comments, CNN reported, citing a statement by Executive Vice President Micah Aberson.

“Kelby Krabbenhoft’s email was based on her own experience with Covid-19 and her personal views on the virus. They do not reflect the views of our health system as a whole,” she told CNN.

The CEO’s email appeared to come from frustration over the inconsistent public health messages around the masks. In his email, according to CNN, he said that for those who have not contracted COVID-19, masks are a good choice.

That hasn’t stopped Sanford employees from complaining about Krabbenhoft’s position.

“It’s appalling to read this from a hospital CEO,” an anonymous nurse told CNN.