Twitter censors mask tweet from White House adviser Dr. Scott Atlas

White House adviser Dr. Scott Atlas is questioning Twitter's decision to censor a tweet he posted last week arguing that masks and mask mandates are ineffective in stopping the coronavirus.

Atlas, who joined the White House coronavirus team in August as a science adviser tweeted: "Masks work? NO," and said the widespread use of masks is not supported.

The tweet apparently violated a Twitter policy that prohibits the sharing of false or misleading information pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic.

In such instances, Twitter disables the account of the individual until the person in question deletes the post. 

"I don't understand why the tweets were deleted," Atlas told the Associated Press. He told the wire service that his tweet was meant to show that "general population masks and mask mandates do not work," clarifying that his stance is that masks should be used when social distancing cannot be enforced.

Atlas noted that infection rates soared even in places where masks were mandated, including Los Angeles, Hawaii, Miami, the Philippines and Japan. 

Atlas, formerly the chief of neuroradiology at Stanford University Medical Center and a fellow at the Hoover Institution, has criticized the extended coronavirus lockdowns, and suggested that children must return to classrooms for their educations.