AMERICAN Airlines yesterday said it has contacted Senator Ted Cruz after he was seen without a mask on a flight.

The Republican, however, said he only removed the face covering to eat and drink.

Health experts and scientists have called on politicians to set an example by wearing masks as the coronavirus rages across the US.

“While our policy does not apply while eating or drinking, we have reached out to Senator Cruz to affirm the importance of this policy,” said the airline in a statement.

The Texas lawmaker is holding a coffee cup and a phone in the widely shared photo, with no mask in sight.

“During his flight, he removed his mask to drink, and put it back on afterwards,” said a spokesman for Cruz.

“We should all practise common-sense measures to slow the spread of the virus.”

Wearing a mask in the US has become a heavily politicised issue in recent months.

President Donald Trump was only seen in one for the first time on Saturday when visiting a military hospital.

Texas’s Republican governor, Greg Abbott, has made wearing masks in public places mandatory – a measure he had long resisted putting in place. – AFP, July 14, 2020.