Ted Nugent Performed Maskless at Event While He Had Coronavirus Symptoms
Going by Ted Nugent's own timeline regarding his infection with COVID-19, the singer attended, spoke and performed completely maskless at an event in Florida after he had already started experiencing "flu symptoms" likely caused by the virus.
As reported by Naples Daily News and picked up by Metal Injection, Nugent and his wife, Shemane, visited Florida's Oakes Farms Seed to Table Market in North Naples on April 12. There, Ted played some songs and talked politics, broadcast via livestream. As seen in the archived video on the musician's Facebook page, neither Ted nor his wife wore masks at the event.
Seven days later, on April 19, Ted took to Facebook once again to inform his followers that he had tested positive for the contagious disease that's sparked a worldwide pandemic — a pandemic that, before his diagnosis, the "Stranglehold" singer had repeatedly kicked against while spouting right-wing talking points about the health crisis and the vaccines devised to address it.
In the April 19 video message, the musician says, "Everybody told me I should not announce this. I have had flu symptoms for the last 10 days. I just, I thought I was dying — just a clusterfuck. … I was tested positive today; I got the Chinese shit."
Per Ted's admission, that would put his first day of noticing symptoms at about April 9, three days before he attended and performed at the Seed to Table store and restaurant without a face covering. The CDC says that an infected person can spread COVID-19 starting two days before symptoms appear; it also recommends isolating from others once those symptoms arrive.
In the hour-plus video of the event, Ted and his wife entertain from what looks like a balcony overlooking the store's main floor. It's not shown in the footage and is currently unclear whether any patrons or employees came within six feet of the Nuge for a total of 15 minutes — what the CDC defines as "close contact" when considering potential exposure.
During the livestream, Ted was briefly joined by Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, who also didn't wear a mask. In addition to introducing the officer, the musician talked up the safety attributes of the area.
"First, God bless America," Ted said. "Let me tell you, first of all, Southwest Florida, one of the safest places to live in the entire state with the lowest crime rate. Why is that? Because all law enforcement and the greatest citizens of this county stick together and we put bad people in jail. And that's where they belong."
Since his positive COVID test, Ted has come around somewhat to acknowledging the magnitude of the pandemic. "I didn't think I was gonna make it," he said of the sickness he experienced. "I literally couldn't function for about 20 hours, and then they came and they rescued me. … I've never been so scared in all my life."
Ted and his wife own a condo in Naples. The musician is friends with Alfie Oakes, the owner of Seed to Table. Oakes' views seem to align with those that Ted has previously espoused — the store owner, per News 6 Orlando, has called the pandemic a hoax.