Sean Penn says COVID-19 vaccinations should be mandatory “like turning on your headlights … at night”

Actor and director Sean Penn has said everyone should be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, which he says should be as mandatory as “turning on your headlights in a car at night” when ‘an interview with CNN on Saturday.

CNN host Michael smerconishMichael SmerconishCNN’s Smerconish Praises Trump on Thousands of Relief Checks: ‘Most Effective Thing He Has Done’ After Election Trump Attacks Former DHS Secretary for Criticizing Federal Crackdown Homeland Security secretary said DHS was not meant to be “the president’s personal militia” asked Penn the circumstances under which he had refrained from working with the cast and crew of the “Gaslit” television series. Variety reported that Penn had challenged how their studio, NBCUniversal, handled COVID-19 requirements among its cast and crew.

The studio required that all actors and team members in “zone A” (those nearby) be vaccinated but did not impose this requirement on others, according to at CNN. Penn argued that all cast and crew should be vaccinated.

Actor and activist Sean Penn says he believes Covid-19 vaccinations should be mandatory.

“You can’t point a gun at someone’s face, which is the case when people are not vaccinated,” he said. @smerconish. https://t.co/oKYltfCANn pic.twitter.com/4tfNWdobnh

– CNN (@CNN) August 21, 2021

“I didn’t want to feel like an accomplice in something that only cared for one group, but not the other and me – and I think everyone should get the shot,” Penn said.

“I think it should be mandatory, like turning on your headlights in a car at night, but obviously it won’t happen tomorrow and yet at least it can happen in some areas and companies, a lot of companies are starting to take it up. I will therefore return to ‘Gaslit’, I will return there when I can be sure that 100% of the crew have been vaccinated, ”he continued.

Penn’s remarks highlight the tension felt between Americans, businesses and communities that have tried to find ways to deal with COVID-19 as the delta variant spreads among unvaccinated communities, contributing to a wave of new cases of COVID-19.

Some cities, including New York and New Orleans, have started enforcing proof of vaccination requirements to enter indoor facilities. For many schools, mask warrants have been imposed, with some pointing out that some students are not yet old enough to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

The United States recorded 157,450 new cases on Friday, per The data Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A month earlier, on July 20, the United States had recorded 52,765 new cases.

According to the CDC, 71% of people aged 12 and older are partially vaccinated and 60% are fully vaccinated.

Editor’s Note: The author of this story is a former employee of NBC News, a brand of NBCUniversal.