On Monday, CNN medical analyst and ER physician Dr. Leana Wen said that outdoor mask mandates should end no matter whether people are vaccinated or not.
Wen is a Visiting Professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University and a former Baltimore Health Commissioner.
She made her comments on CNN’s “AC360” hosted by Anderson Cooper, as CNN reports that the Biden admin’s CDC is expected to update their guidance for masks outdoors today.
Public health guidance needs to meet people where they are. If our guidance is so disconnected from reality, it won’t be followed or trusted. We need to help people move towards normalcy—not aiming for zero risk, but reducing risk, through vaccination https://t.co/ZSUIjI2KNO pic.twitter.com/sO4RdZcOyu
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) April 27, 2021
Dr. Wen Wants Outdoor Masks Mandates Gone
Wen told Cooper, “Frankly, outdoor mask mandates should just go, regardless of whether you’re vaccinated.”
“There are a lot of locales and states that still have blanket mask mandates, so even if you live in a suburban area or rural area, where you don’t see that many people, there are still mask mandates in place,” Wen said. “That does not make any sense.”
Dr. Wen then said that mask mandates outdoors is a practice that needs to end.
“So, I actually think outdoor mask mandates can go,” Wen advised. “But I also think that we can do a lot more with specifically incentivizing vaccination, including allowing businesses to come back at full capacity if they’re checking for proof of vaccination.”
Here’s what I hope the Biden admin will say:
* No more blanket outdoor mask mandates
* Fully vaccinated people don’t need to mask outdoors
* Those not vaccinated still need to mask in gatherings with other unvaccinated people, unless outdoors & can maintain 6 feet distance pic.twitter.com/Y6X2gqmOo1— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) April 26, 2021
CNBC reported on Monday that the “Biden administration is slated to relax federal public health guidance on wearing masks outdoors as soon as this week, a source familiar with the plans told NBC News.”
“The announcement, which may come as early as Tuesday, could give separate recommendations for fully vaccinated people and those who have not received a coronavirus vaccine, added the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity,” CNBC noted.
“The administration is still finalizing the guidance, NBC reported.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci to @ThisWeekABC on vaccine hesitancy following the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause: “I think in the long run what we’re going to see…is that people will realize that we take safety very seriously.” https://t.co/erUZIu7XfZ pic.twitter.com/SHBa0NaY7C
— ABC News (@ABC) April 26, 2021
Dr. Fauci: ‘The Risk Is Really Low, Especially If You’re Vaccinated’
White House COVID-19 task force director Dr. Anthony Fauci told George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s Sunday program, “What I believe you’re going to be hearing, what the country is going to be hearing soon, is updated guidelines from the CDC.”
“The CDC is a science-based organization,” Fauci said. “They don’t want to make any guidelines unless they look at the data and the data backs it up.”
“But when you look around at the common sense situation, the risk is really low, especially if you’re vaccinated,” Fauci finished.
This article was originally published by the Political Insider. Read the original article.
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