CDC's Walensky: Recommendations for Masking Have Been 'Crystal Clear'

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that their recommendations for masking had been “crystal clear.”

Walensky said, “I think we have so many more tools now than we did a year ago. We have so many things that work against SARS‑CoV‑2, and it’s what causes COVID regardless of the variants we have seen before. I do think that getting a lot of immunity right now will be critically important. Masking up right now, we have 80% of our cases of our counties that are still in higher substantial risk of disease with Delta. Doing all of those things will help prevent a more aggressive Omicron surge.”

Anchor Martha Raddatz said, “And the masking, but President Biden made clear, even before we know anything about it, that a mask mandate is not going to come back.”

Walensky said, “The CDC recommendations have been clear. We recommend masking in public, indoor settings, in areas that have high or substantial transmission, and that’s over 80% of our counties right now. So, of course, those mandates and requirements are going to happen at the county level, at the policymaker level, but our recommendations have been crystal clear.”

Raddatz said, “Would you rather see a nationwide mandate?”

Walensky said, “I would rather see people get vaccinated, boosted, and follow our recommendations, and rather not have requirements in order to do so. People should do this for themselves.”

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