Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, recently told Axios that many Americans misunderstood the recent changes to national face mask guidelines.
What are the new CDC face mask guidelines?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines for face masks in mid-May. The new guidelines allow for fully vaccinated people to ditch their masks for most indoor and outdoor settings, according to The Associated Press.
- However, the CDC still strongly recommends wearing a mask in public settings, as I reported for the Deseret News.
Fauci says Americans are ‘misinterpreting’ CDC mask guidelines
Fauci told Axios at a virtual event — set to be released on Wednesday — that Americans are ”misinterpreting” the new mask guidance from the CDC.
- “I think people are misinterpreting, thinking that this is a removal of a mask mandate for everyone. It’s not,” he told Axios. “It’s an assurance to those who are vaccinated that they can feel safe, be they outdoors or indoors.”
- “It’s not their fault,” Fauci added. “People either read them quickly, or listen and hear half of it. They are feeling that we’re saying: ‘You don’t need the mask anymore.’ That’s not what the CDC said. They said: If you are vaccinated, you can feel safe — that you will not get infected either outdoors or indoors. It did not explicitly say that unvaccinated people should abandon their masks.”
Should you ditch your mask?
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Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, told CNN you can keep your mask on. You don’t have to take it off.
- “Not everybody has to rip off their mask because our guidance changed,” she said. “If you are concerned, please do consult your physician before you take off your mask.”