Fauci says restarting mask mandates is 'under active consideration'
Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday said that federal authorities are actively considering recommending vaccinated people wear masks.
Fauci says restarting mask mandates is 'under active consideration'
Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday said that federal authorities are actively considering recommending vaccinated people wear masks.
During a segment on CNN's State of the Union, host Jake Tapper pressed the health authority on whether masks should be brought back for vaccinated people.
"You know, Jake, this is under active consideration," Fauci said. "If you're asking am I part of the discussion? Yes, I am."
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says indoor mask-wearing is not needed for the fully vaccinated, Fauci explained that the agency and government support the choice of local areas to enforce mask requirements.
"The CDC agrees with that ability and discretion capability to say, you know, 'You're in a situation where we're having a lot of dynamics of infection. So, even if you are vaccinated, you should wear a mask.' That's a local decision that's not incompatible with the CDC's overall recommendations that give a lot of discretion to the locals," Fauci added.
Mask mandates were reinstated in Los Angeles County on July 17. The move was "due to increased transmission from the Delta variant and intermingling of unmasked individuals where vaccination status is unknown," the public health department said in a statement. Missouri and Nevada also recently announced they would reinstate mask requirements amid the infection spike.
The delta variant of the coronavirus has caused another spike in infection cases in recent weeks. More than 80% of U.S. infection cases are believed to involve the delta variant of the virus, according to the New York Times.
While the CDC has confirmed that those who are vaccinated are sufficiently protected against the variant as well as the U.K. variant of the virus, Fauci told Tapper that booster shots to supplement the vaccine may be necessary to sustain immunity.
"You've got to look at the data, and the data that's evolving from Israel and from Pfizer indicates that it looks like there may be some diminution in protection," he said.
Those undergoing chemotherapy, transplant patients, and those with suppressed immune systems would be likely candidates for a third shot, Fauci added.
