Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said federal government officials’ insistence on wearing masks in public appearances has discouraged people from getting the COVID-19 vaccine, suggesting that it’s not necessary for fully vaccinated individuals to keep wearing masks around in public. Describing the move as “theater,” Paul said that it would harm efforts to get people vaccinated if the public doesn’t believe the shot has an impact in curbing the spread of the virus. He was referring to an online meeting between world leaders, in which President Joe Biden was the only official wearing a mask. Biden forgot that “this theater was so ridiculous that people would call him out on it,” he added. Last week, others had questioned why the president would wear a mask in such a setting. All the other world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were not wearing …