White House Backs Ongoing School Mask Mandates Citing ‘Data’ and ‘Science’

The White House on Monday defended ongoing mask mandates for children in schools despite a growing number of states loosening coronavirus requirements.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden and his administration continue to support mask mandates as advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“The guidance is very clear, which is that we recommend masking in schools,” she said, speaking from the White House briefing room podium without a mask.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, announced Monday he would drop the school mandate for masks in March despite the guidance from the CDC.

“This is not a declaration of victory as much as an acknowledgment that we can responsibly live with this thing,” Murphy said during his remarks announcing his decision.

But Psaki did not budge on hinting any kind of change at the federal level, citing the “data” and the “science” behind the CDC’s recommendation.

“Our responsibility as the federal government is to rely on the data and the science analyzed by our public health experts and rely on that for what recommendations we are making,” she said.

Psaki acknowledged that people are tired of coronavirus restrictions but urged students to keep their masks on.

“We certainly understand and have seen in polling that the public is tired of Covid. We understand that. So are we,” says Jen Psaki.

But she indicated the administration would wait for federal health officials to decide when to lift the bans.