Speaker in US state legislature criticizes lawmaker for racist term

Ryan Fecteau, house speaker for the US state of Maine, criticized Republican lawmaker Representative Michael Lemelin for calling the COVID-19 virus the "Chinese virus" in an email to an educator, AP reported on Tuesday.

Ryan said the coronavirus descriptor used by Michael is "a racist trope" that was "offensive and wrong", though whether lawmakers are accountable or not depends on voters' responsibility ultimately.

Lemelin also downplayed the impacts of the pandemic in the email concerning his signature on a letter asking for easing restrictions on full-time school, saying, "People need to stop running to the doctor and getting tested at the first sign of illness."