Report: CDC to drop most indoor mask requirements



The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will reportedly ditch its guidance for indoor masking for a majority of Americans due to the continuing drop in coronavirus cases nationwide.

The CDC is expected to announce the change in policy as early as Friday according to sources familiar with the plan.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky hinted last week that the organization was reviewing the mask guidance with an eye towards giving people a "break" given improved case counts and hospitalization rates.

Under current guidelines, the CDC recommends people wear masks if they reside in a county with high transmission, which applies to roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Critics have argued that case counts are not useful for determining social distancing guidelines anymore after so many people have gotten vaccinated. Walensky appeared to reference this criticism when she described how the policies might change.

"We must consider hospital capacity as an additional important barometer," she said during a coronavirus update. "We want to give people a break from things like mask-wearing when these metrics are better, and then have the ability to reach for them again should things worsen."

The CDC reported that the seven-day average of total nationwide cases had dropped by 43%, from about 213k cases to 122k cases. They also said that 64.5% of the U.S. population had been fully vaccinated, while 76% had received at least one dose of the vaccine.

While many welcomed the possibility that indoor masks would be unneeded anymore, some, like Joy Behar of "The View" screeched that she would continue wearing masks because it was "unsafe" otherwise. A day later, she was caught maskless in a public restaurant with her friends.

Here's more about the new mask guidelines:

CDC set to release new mask guidelineswww.youtube.com

Dr. Fauci says the public is 'misinterpreting' CDC guidance on mask mandate for unvaccinated people



Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that the public is misinterpreting the new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the mask mandate as it applies to unvaccinated people.

"It's important to understand what the new guidance on masks were directed at. It said that people who are vaccinated can now feel safe, that they do not need to wear a mask either outdoors or indoors," Fauci said during a virtual event on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout conducted by Axios.

"It did not say that people who are not vaccinated should abandon their masks," he explained.

"It said people who are not vaccinated should continue to wear masks and should get vaccinated. So I think people are misinterpreting, thinking that this is a removal of a mask mandate for everyone. It's not," Fauci added.

"It's an assurance to those who are vaccinated that they can feel safe, be they outdoors or indoors," he concluded.

Fauci went on to say it wasn't the public's fault that they misunderstood the guidance.

"It's not their fault," he added. "People either read them quickly, or listen and hear half of it."

Coronavirus infections and deaths have plummeted across the country at the same time that the number of Americans choosing to get vaccinated have risen quickly. Other countries have not been as fortunate — India especially is battling a skyrocketing death rate from the pandemic as hospitals are overwhelmed.

After the celebrated guidance from the CDC on May 13, officials later clarified that schools should continue to require face masks for kids and keep social distancing through the end of the school year.

Fauci also said in the virtual conference that the "standard classical" news media had done a good job of informing the public, but he decried "fringe" news outlets that spread conspiracy theories and fake news. He did not name those news outlets.

Here's the entire video of Fauci's comments:

A conversation on the COVID-19 vaccine rolloutwww.youtube.com

WATCH: Press secretary STUNS reporter as she struggles to explain CDC mask plan



On the latest episode of "The Rubin Report," BlazeTV host Dave Rubin talked about White House press secretary Jen Psaki's comments on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's abrupt change in mask guidance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's defense of Israel's actions on "Face the Nation," and the U.S. Army's new plans for assessing climate change risk.

First, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky struggled to explain to an ABC News "This Week" reporter why the CDC abruptly reversed course on its COVID-19 guidelines for mask-wearing. This is the same person who was warning of "impending doom" a mere six weeks ago. Meanwhile, Psaki was confronted by a reporter on whether or not the CDC mask guidance was changed for political reasons. Yet Democratic leaders like Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) are encouraging people who have received the COVID-19 vaccine to continue wearing masks despite the CDC's policy change.

"It has just become very, very clear that the Democrats are the party of anti-science," Dave said.

After sharing a video clip from the news conference, Dave asked, "Could you imagine anyone being more inauthentic than Jen Psaki?"

"The woman is completely incapable of saying an honest direct statement," he added. "She didn't answer the question there at all. The question by the Fox reporter was quite good. It was basically, 'Hey, now that you're seeing what's going on here and CDC rules changing everything, does Biden regret saying that those Republican governors have Neanderthal thinking by opening up?' Then she just babbles on for a while and she's sort of like, 'Well, we have to just follow the science and not make political decisions.' Except that's completely the reverse of what has been proven to be true!"

Watch the video below to hear more from Dave Rubin:



Want more from Dave Rubin?

To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.

Gov. Cuomo declares New York is not ready to follow the science and implement the new CDC mask guidelines



Americans celebrated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new mask guidelines announcement Thursday that said vaccinated people can return to life without masks.

Except New Yorkers.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared shortly after the CDC unveiled its new mask policies that the Empire State would not be following the experts' guidance on face masks — at least not yet.

What's going on?

In a Thursday afternoon declaration, the CDC deigned to allow fully vaccinated Americans to return to mask-less, non-socially distanced life.

"Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. "If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all longed for this moment, when we can get back to some sense of normalcy."

But Gov. Cuomo wasn't sold on the federal government's science experts' recommendation, the New York Post reported, and had not decided if he would allow his subjects to enjoy normal life.

In a statement issued shortly after the agency's announcement, Cuomo said he and his state government, including Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, would be following "the facts and the science" and would be reviewing the CDC guidelines.

"In New York, we have always relied on the facts and the science to guide us throughout the worst of this pandemic and in our successful reopening," Cuomo said. "We have received the newly revised guidance from the CDC regarding mask wearing and social distancing for those with vaccinations and are reviewing them in consultation with Dr. Zucker and our partners and health experts in surrounding states."

Current New York rules state that fully vaccinated people can go without masks when they are outdoors — except when in crowded areas — but must remained mask indoors, no matter what.

What did one GOP state lawmaker say?

One New York Republican lawmaker, however, was quick to note that Cuomo's record with nursing home COVID-19 deaths should lead people to listen to the CDC instead of the state's leadership.

State Sen. Jim Tedisco (R) said that "our best bet as constituents is to always follow the CDC because we've seen what the 'experts' in New York state have provided," the Post reported.

"I don't think anything this governor says about using experts in New York state is true," Tedisco added. "He's working with people who are basically like working with Moe, Larry and Curly. I'd follow the CDC guidelines any time before following what the governor says."

Sen. Collins faces off with CDC director, says agency used to be the 'gold standard' — but not any more after its terrible COVID messaging



Americans have for months been exacerbated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mixed messaging during the coronavirus pandemic. From messages on mask-wearing to outdoor transmission to how fully vaccinated people should conduct themselves, the agency has repeatedly undermined itself in the eyes of many Americans and tarnished its own reputation — likely permanently for vast swaths of the population.

One of those people disillusioned with the CDC's "expertise" is Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) — and she made her disappointment and distrust of the agency clear in remarks to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky during a Senate Health Committee hearing Tuesday.

What happened?

The CDC finally — after ongoing pressure from all sides — issued new face mask guidance late last month. Though the new guidelines were celebrated for finally offering some relief to fully vaccinated people, many critics — on the right and the left — criticized the new rules for not loosening restrictions even further. Beyond that, the members of the Biden administration have continued to undermine the new CDC guidelines — from the Health and Human Services secretary to Biden's COVID czar to President Joe Biden himself.

Late last week, the CDC finally acknowledged publicly that COVID-19 is airborne — a fact that other health experts have known for several months.

The CDC has been inconsistent in its support for reopening schools and recently suffered its own scandal when it was revealed that the American Federation of Teachers appeared to play a significant role in CDC guidelines for reopening.

There has also been debate over the agency's restrictions for outdoor summer camps that say outdoor campers should be masked.

And on Tuesday, the New York Times exposed a move by the CDC to exaggerate the risk of outdoor COVID spread in order to protect people. The Times revealed that Director Walensky's claim that "less than 10 percent" of transmissions occur outdoors was misleading at best. In fact, the Times said, the rate of outdoor transmission is less than 1% — and may be below 0.1%.

These recent CDC messaging snafus led Collins to issue a stark rebuke to Walensky for her agency's missteps.

"I used to have the utmost respect for the guidance from the CDC," Collins said. "I always considered the CDC to be the gold standard. I don't anymore."

The senator cited the CDC's "conflicting" and "confusing" guidance that has "undermined public confidence" and "contradicts the scientific guidance of many experts" on school openings, outdoor transmission risks, and summer camps.

"So, here we have unnecessary barriers to reopening schools, exaggerating the risks of outdoor transmission, and unworkable restrictions on summer camps. Why does this matter?" Collins asked. "It matters because it undermines public confidence in your recommendations, in the recommendations that do make sense, in the recommendations that Americans should be following."

Walensky stood behind her agency's widely criticized actions and rules, saying the "CDC will continue to follow the science" — without explaining which science that would be.

The director briefly addressed the report that the AFT played an outsized role in reopening guidance for schools, claiming that the guidelines that were updated with the union's requested language was actually based on CDC science and was initially left out based on an accidental oversight.

She attempted to explain away the Tuesday Times report that exposed the CDC's exaggerations on outdoor transmission, saying that the agency's messaging was based on a "published study" — a claim the Times report clearly debunked.

And she lamented the camp restrictions, saying she won't let her own 16-year-old go to camp, but she failed to note that kids are not the people at risk with COVID, and most of the adults who would be considered vulnerable have received vaccines.

Liberal network CNN presses Health Sec. Becerra on his call for vaccinated people to keep wearing masks. He has trouble defending it.



Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra went on CNN Monday to attempt to explain why fully vaccinated people should continue to mask-up.

And he struggled to make the case to the Democrat-family cable outlet.

What happened?

Becerra is the most recent member of the Biden administration to come out and contradict the latest face mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Late last month, the new CDC guidelines said that fully vaccinated Americans do not need to wear masks outdoors, or even indoors in many cases. Fully vaccinated people, the CDC said, can gather outdoors without wearing a mask except in certain crowded settings and can also gather indoors without wearing a mask or staying six feet apart.

President Joe Biden told NBC's "Today" just a couple days after the CDC update that he would keep wearing a mask outdoors because "it's a patriotic duty." And last Friday he said to reporters who asked about his continued masking that being fully vaccinated and still wearing a mask indoors is "good policy."

The president's COVID czar, Jeff Zients, erroneously told CNN that Biden was following CDC guidance by wearing a mask, even after being fully vaccinated since January.

And senior Biden adviser Anita Dunn defended the president's continued mask-wearing by saying people should follow CDC guidelines.

On Monday, Sec. Becerra attempted to make the case to CNN's audience for fully vaccinated people to still wear face masks.

CNN host John Berman asked the secretary about Dr. Anthony Fauci's remarks Sunday that it might be time to relax indoor mask mandates, especially for people who have been vaccinated.

"Who are you protecting, if everyone's vaccinated, by wearing a mask?" Berman queried.

Becerra responded by claiming that the administration's guidance "focuses on safety" and is the "best advice possible."

What does that look like? In Becerra's mind, it means fully vaccinated people masking up because — well — they could still be carrying the virus and spread COVID-19.

What did Becerra say?

"We still want you to be as safe as possible, that's why the indoor policy should still be masking," the HHS chief said. "But clearly, if you've been vaccinated fully and you're with folks who are also vaccinated, John, the risk does diminish radically. But you could end up being a carrier and not know it and if somebody hasn't been vaccinated and doesn't wear a mask, guess what, there's still that potential of getting COVID."

Berman responded that he and his co-workers are inoculated and their safety is not being "impacted" by wearing a mask. He then indicated that perhaps it's a matter of personal responsibility and assumption of risk for each person.

"If someone else is not vaccinated, it might be THEIR safety that's being affected, so there's two issues here," Berman said. "Number one: Is that my concern anymore that someone who's chosen to be unvaccinated is making a bad choice? And question two is maybe there should be laws that allow them to be kept out of the building."

Becerra responded that he still wants to convince everyone to act in what he says is their own best interests and "be as safe as possible."

"You know, it's always difficult to get people on motorcycles to wear helmets — for their own safety. It was tough at times to get people to wear seatbelts — for their own safety," he said. "What we're simply saying is the best guidance from those who are the experts in health care is be as safe as possible by wearing a mask, even if you're vaccinated."

The CDC experts' guidance does not agree with Becerra's assertion.

CNN presses Biden's COVID czar on president's refusal follow new CDC face mask rules. He responds by getting the agency's guidance wrong.



CNN's Jake Tapper pushed President Joe Biden's COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients on why the president refuses to follow the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on face masks for people who are fully vaccinated against the virus.

Zients responded by claiming the president actually was following agency guidance while misquoting what the CDC's guidance actually is.

What's the background?

President Biden, who has been fully vaccinated since January, has sent a lot of mixed messages on face masks and CDC guidance, despite repeated claims that he and his administration would be "following the science" when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic.

Late last month, the CDC issued new face mask guidelines saying that fully vaccinated Americans do not need to wear masks outdoors, or even indoors in many cases. Fully vaccinated people, the CDC said, can gather outdoors without wearing a mask except in certain crowded settings and can also gather indoors without wearing a mask or staying six feet apart.

Yet just a couple days after the agency issued its new "science-based" guidance, Biden was on NBC's "Today" saying he would keep flouting the new mask rules by wearing a mask outdoors because, he said, "it's a patriotic responsibility for God's sake."

And last Friday, the president was asked during an event at the White House why he chose to wear a mask when he's fully vaccinated and around others who are also vaccinated.

He responded, "Because when we're inside, it's still good policy to wear the mask."

REPORTER: “Why do you choose to wear a mask so often when you're vaccinated & you're around others who are vaccinat… https://t.co/18LPUELK15

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) 1620417867.0

What did the COVID czar say?

Noting the Friday exchange, Tapper asked Zients if it is "really necessary for a fully vaccinated person to wear a mask at a limited indoor gathering if everyone there is vaccinated."

Zients responded by misquoting the actual guidance from the CDC.

"Well, the CDC has given guidance that, when you're with family and friends that are vaccinated in small groups, you don't need a mask," the COVID czar said.

But that's not what the CDC's mask guidance for fully vaccinated people says.

According to the CDC, "If you've been fully vaccinated: You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart."

Tapper — who confronted senior Biden adviser Anita Dunn on the same topic a week earlier — continued to press Zients on the president's mixed messages about vaccines and notion of trusting the experts.

"Why does President Biden in a room full of vaccinated journalists — with everybody in that room vaccinated — why does he need to wear a mask?" Tapper asked.

Zients replied, "The president is going to continue to follow the CDC guidance" — though he didn't admit that the CDC's official guidance is to do the opposite of what President Biden is doing.

Tapper also cited former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb's recent recommendation that the CDC start lifting indoor mask mandates now, in order to send a message of science-based vaccine confidence.

But Biden's COVID coordinator was not to be moved off his defense of his boss' decision to ignore actual CDC guidance:

We're going to look to the CDC. The president from day one has said we're going to rely on science and facts, and that's what we'll do. The CDC has, across the last several weeks, given guidance for vaccinated people to do indoor gatherings with other vaccinated people, as I talked about earlier, to not wear masks outside, except when you're in a very crowded place. And we look forward to further guidance from the CDC about what the advantages are of being vaccinated. What is clear is anyone who's not vaccinated should get vaccinated.

However, Tapper continued to press Zients on the messaging, saying, "I think one of the reasons why journalists are annoyingly harping on this and some health experts are is because there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and President Biden being able to take off his mask in a room full of journalists and White House staffers, all of whom are fully vaccinated, is a demonstration that the vaccines work."

Yet Zients obfuscated on the president's repeated and obvious refusal to follow CDC guidelines — and then preached that all Americans should ... "follow the CDC guidance."

Jake Tapper presses WH Covid-19 coordinator on vaccinated Biden wearing a maskyoutu.be

Biden says he will ignore CDC guidance on masks for vaccinated people and will wear a mask — even outdoors: 'It's a patriotic responsibility for God's sake'



Leading voices in the "party of science" are continuing to undermine recent face mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From the liberal media to the president of the United States, it appears that the left has not fully embraced its own mantra of "trust the experts" when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic.

The CDC issued new face mask guidelines Tuesday saying that fully vaccinated Americans do not need to wear masks outdoors, or even indoors in many cases. Fully vaccinated people, the CDC said, can gather outdoors without wearing a mask except in certain crowded settings and can also gather indoors without wearing a mask or staying six feet apart.

Yet many liberals cannot wrap their minds around it.

For example, MSNBC's Joy Reid — who has repeatedly scolded Americans to do what they're told by the likes of Dr. Anthony Fauci and other government health officials — went on her cable show hours after the CDC announcement to declare that she is still wearing two masks while jogging outdoors.

The latest big-name Democrat to reject CDC mask guidance is President Joe Biden.

During an interview with NBC's "Today" that aired Friday, Biden, who is fully vaccinated and has been for months, told show host Craig Melvin that he would still be wearing a mask — even outdoors — because it's his "patriotic responsibility."

Melvin queried Biden about the new CDC guidance and noted that many Americans are "excited that they can now shed these masks if they've been double vaccinated."

"Are you going to be one of these folks now?" Melvin asked. "Are we no longer going to see the president of the United States outside with a mask on?"

"Sure, sure," Biden answered — before going on to say the opposite.

"But what I'm going to do, though, because the likelihood of my being able to be outside and people not come up to me is not very high," he elaborated.

He went on to note that he and Melvin — who is also fully vaccinated — were unmasked because they were more than six feet apart.

Then he added, "But if we were, in fact, sitting there talking to one another close, I'd have my mask on and I imagine you'd have your mask on, even though we've both been vaccinated" — which, of course, runs counter to the newest mask guidance from the CDC.

Why would he continue wear the mask, even outdoors? Because it's what a good American does, at least in Biden's mind.

"It's a small precaution to take that has a profound impact," Biden said. "It's a patriotic responsibility for God's sake."

Biden on wearing masks despite being vaccinated: “It’s a patriotic responsibility for God’s sake” https://t.co/UZRxy0gKlV

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) 1619781184.0

Whew: CDC chief's sense of 'impending doom' about COVID-19 has apparently subsided



After only four weeks, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who took to the national airwaves in March to scare the American people into following CDC guidance, went from having a feeling of "impending doom" about the coronavirus pandemic to feeling pretty good about where the country is now.

What did she say?

Just a month ago, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky made headlines by announcing that she was "scared" about she was seeing on the coronavirus horizon.

In what was a (clearly scripted) unscripted moment, Walenesky went out of her way to urge fellow Americans to "sound the alarm" to everyone over what she called her feeling of "impending doom" over reports of upticks in a handful of states' COVID cases.

During her March 29 presser, the CDC chief said she was going to share the truth that might not be news the people want to hear, adding, "I have to hope and trust you will listen."

"I'm gonna lose the script and I'm going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom," she told reporters. "We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are, and so much reason for hope.

"But right now I'm scared," she said.

Now she's singing a different tune.

The CDC announced new face mask guidance Tuesday saying that fully vaccinated Americans do not need to wear masks outdoors or even indoors in some cases.

Fully vaccinated people, the CDC said, can gather outdoors without wearing a mask except in certain crowded settings and can also gather indoors without wearing a mask or staying six feet apart.

What about the 'impending doom'?

During the agency's announcement, the New York Times asked Walensky about the guidelines and her sense of "impending doom."

The director revealed that her feeling of doom had subsided and that "we should be in good shape":

You know, several weeks ago, when I had this feeling of impending doom and I articulated that and I had, you know, case races going — rates going up, vaccines — vaccinations growing, but not where we needed to be, and — and deaths continuing to climb, as I look at the curve now, it's stabilizing; it's coming down.

The vaccinations have continued to grow in an extraordinary way. I think we really do need to get more and more people vaccinated. As Kristen noted, we need to, sort of, combat the hesitancy that is out there, meet people where we — where they are, and encourage everyone to get vaccinated.

But as I see more vaccines getting into people's arms, more and more people being willing to do so, confidence increasing, and then I match that with the — the cases that are starting to stabilize, plateau, and come down, as well as Dr. Fauci's slides that demonstrate when the other countries have been a little bit ahead of us and shown that when those vaccinations continue to soar and the cases plummet, that we should be in good shape.

04/27/21: Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officialsyoutu.be

CNN's medical analyst stuns Anderson Cooper by supporting Biden's decision to relax outdoor mask mandate



Anderson Cooper tried to get CNN's medical analyst to criticize the Biden administration for loosening guidelines on wearing masks outside but she instead said they should ease them even more.

Leana Wen made the comments while appearing on Cooper's show on Monday evening after the CDC released new guidelines for mask wearing for those who have been vaccinated.

"Is that a risk?" asked Cooper of the new mask guidelines. "Are more people just going to start taking off their masks, whether or not they have been vaccinated? It's not like anybody's checking."

"I think, frankly, outdoor-mask mandates should just go, regardless of whether you're vaccinated," Wen responded.

"I actually think outdoor mask mandates can go, but I also think we can do a lot more with, specifically, incentivizing vaccination, including allowing businesses to come back at full capacity if they are checking for proof of vaccination," she added.

Wen also chided the administration for not incentivizing people to get the vaccine.

"I understand that the Biden team wants to be cautious, but caution comes at a price," Wen said earlier in the interview.

"And that price is that people are saying, well, what's the point of getting vaccinated? If not that much changes for me. I think that what the Biden administration has been doing is to say, here's what we, as a society, should do. Once we reach a certain level of vaccination in the society, once the infection level decreases, we'll lift restrictions for everyone," she explained.

"But I think they're discounting that many Americans want to know, what's in it for me? They don't want to wait until everyone gets to some elusive herd immunity," Wen continued.

"I think it will be a lot more effective if we say once you are fully vaccinated, that's the end of the road for you," she added. "So at that point, you're able to take off your mask outside. You're able to go about enjoying many aspects of pre-pandemic life. I think that is going to be key to overcoming vaccine hesitancy."

Wen then posted the video of some of her comments on her Twitter account.

"Here's what I hope the Biden team will announce today," Wen tweeted. "They need to give much more latitude to what fully vaccinated people can do. I understand the need for caution, but caution comes at a price. We need to clearly tell Americans all the benefits that come with being vaccinated."

White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci offered similar conclusions on Sunday on CNN.

"The risk when you're outdoors – which we have been saying all along – is extremely low," said Fauci. "And if you are vaccinated, it's even lower. So you're going to be hearing about those kinds of recommendations soon."