Chris Christie says he was “wrong” not to wear a mask at the White House during Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination and during debate preparation with President Donald Trump, The New York Times reports. The former New Jersey governor, who previously said Americans would simply have to accept more deaths, contracted the virus and spent several days in intensive care with COVID-19 not long after Trump did. He now advises following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to wear face coverings and observe social distancing. In a statement, Christie said, “I believed when I entered the White House grounds, that I had entered a safe zone, due to the testing that I and many others underwent every day. I was wrong. I was wrong not to 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.”