Universal masking calls reach Biden administrator as Delta fear, pressure for virus restrictions peak

Momentum appears to be building behind calls to bring back universal mask wearing – even for those who are vaccinated – including reported discussions at the White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over recommending masks for all Americans.

The Washington Post first reported that the idea was being debated in the White House, even though it was something as minor as a change in message from senior officials rather than an update. roughly up to date with CDC guidelines. These guidelines were amended in May to say that vaccinated people do not need to wear masks indoors.

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Some people are pushing for masks for people who have been vaccinated for weeks. But the fact that such discussions are taking place at high levels in the administration reflects the fact that calls are increasing, especially among the political left, to force the return of masks on all Americans to stem the spread of the variant. delta COVID.

And the Biden administration carefully addressed questions about the potential update to the mask guidelines on Thursday, stating that no changes to the guidelines had yet taken place without denying that a change could occur.

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“The head of the CDC, our public health arm, just spoke about it earlier this morning and made it clear that there has been no decision to change our mask guidelines,” he said on Thursday. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. “We are guided by science and we are guided by our public health experts and any decision would come from the CDC… There was no decision to change our mask guidelines.”

CDC director Rochelle Walensky stressed that vaccinated people have very important protection against the virus and that unvaccinated people should wear masks. But she also declined to say whether the CDC could update its guidelines to say that vaccinated people should wear masks indoors.

“Overall, the CDC’s recommendations have not changed,” she said.

In response to a separate question from Fox News, a CDC spokesperson made comments very similar to Walensky’s – touting the importance of vaccines without denying that the agency’s guidelines could change.

Spokeswoman Jasmine Reed also said: “People may want to wear masks and maintain physical distance if they are in an area with high case rates and lower vaccinations and / or delta variant cases increase. “

Biden himself said his COVID-19 advisory board was considering the issue on Thursday, and also did not specifically rule out a change in the recommendations.

“We follow the science,” Biden said. “What is happening now is all the major science operations in this country and the group of 25 people that we have put together is looking at all the possibilities of what is happening now.”

Biden stressed that if people are vaccinated “you are safe,” but said the board “is investigating all aspects of any changes that may or may take place.”

The CDC itself does not enforce or enforce mask mandates – states and localities do. But many states and cities are closely following the CDC’s guidelines on the coronavirus, so any change in the CDC’s stance on the virus could have a significant effect on Americans having to wear masks in their daily lives.

But at least two major cities are set to bring back universal masking even without decrees from the Biden administration. Los Angeles last week issued a new mandate for all citizens, regardless of their immunization status, to wear masks in indoor public spaces. And New Orleans posted an indoor mask advisory on Wednesday.

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New Orleans made it clear that the notice was not a warrant. But the advisory still asked all people to wear a mask regardless of their vaccination status. He cited the fact that coronavirus cases in the city had increased tenfold in two weeks and an “alarming increase” in the number of people vaccinated testing positive for the virus.

Fox News contributor Dr Marc Siegel, professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, said on Thursday that the focus on mask wear was out of place and should instead be directed towards increasing vaccination rates.

“As New York City Mayor de Blasio said yesterday… the vaccine is a cannon and the mask is a pea shooter,” Siegel said. “Two injections of an mRNA vaccine is probably 84-85% effective in preventing COVID infection and over 95% effective in preventing you from going to the hospital.”

He added: “Regarding the masks, I have a problem with the mask warrants because I think they make people feel bad and feel punished.”

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Siegel said unvaccinated people should wear masks when they are “around” and it might make sense for a vaccinated person to wear a mask when “near a group of unvaccinated people. “. But, he added, the best way to reduce coronavirus cases is to work on “entrenching” people who refuse to be vaccinated through awareness and a “softer tone”.

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine professor Marty Makary, also a Fox News contributor, took a tougher stance against mask warrants in an interview earlier this month.

“At this point, everyone at risk has had the opportunity to get the vaccine,” Makary said. “Those who are not immune choose to do so at their own risk.”

Markary added that the initial reasoning behind the COVID restrictions in early 2020 was not to prevent all infection but to prevent hospitals from being invaded. “It’s no longer a problem… We have to put it in perspective,” said Markary.

Nonetheless, some of those pushing for more masks have announced the Washington Post report that the administration is considering a more serious push for masks for those vaccinated.

“CHANGE IS HAPPENING,” tweeted Eric Feigl-Ding, senior researcher at the American Federation of Scientists, in response to the Washington Post report. “We needed this yesterday!

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And others who want to bring back universal masking have doubled their calls this week.

“What is the point of lifting the mask warrants when we know we are not on track to achieve an 80% vaccination rate anytime in the near future?” Activist Bree Newsome tweeted Wednesday. And CNN legal analyst Leana Wen told the network on Thursday that “we should follow LA County’s lead and say that if there are places where vaccinated and unvaccinated people mix, then the Interior mask mandates should still apply “.

Former surgeon general Jerome Adams, who was among the first high-profile voices calling for a return to masks, wrote in the Washington Post: “We need to work hard to increase vaccinations while simultaneously preparing the public for masking.”

“The CDC could help by recognizing that its past messages have not been effective and in fact harmful,” Adams added. “Instead of vaxing it or masking it, people might need to vax it and mask it.”