The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Wednesday they would not lift mask mandates recommended for the majority of the country, despite Democrat governors announcing plans to end them.
CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky indicated it was important for Americans to “stay safe and protect others” by continuing to wear masks, even though Chinese coronavirus cases were falling.
“We are all cautiously optimistic about the trajectory that we are on,” Walensky said during a White House coronavirus briefing on Wednesday. “Things are moving in the right direction but we want to remain vigilant to do all we can so this trajectory continues.”
A host of Democrat governors in recent weeks announced plans to lift mask mandates including Washington, DC mayor Muriel Bowser.
Walensky did not address reports the CDC was preparing to loosen masking guidelines by next week but stated the process would be determined by “data” and “science.”
Many parents are frustrated with ongoing mask mandates for children in schools, as Republicans have hammered Democrats for keeping masking and vaccine mandates in place.
But Walensky indicated she wanted people to prepare for future mask-wearing if the number of cases changed.
“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,” Walensky said.
She also said she wanted everyone in America to keep wearing masks if they felt like doing so.
“We certainly want people to have the flexibility to wear one if they so choose,” Walensky said.
White House Coronavirus task force director Jeffrey Zients repeated that President Joe Biden and his administration would let the CDC continue to take the lead on issues of masking.
“Everything is driven by science and public health,” Jeffrey Zients, adding that “our highest priority is fighting Omicron.”
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