Fauci Says People Are ‘Misinterpreting’ New CDC Mask Guidance—Here’s What’s Going Wrong

• Many people are “thinking that this is a removal of a mask mandate for everyone,” Fauci told Axios in an interview set to air in full later on Wednesday, emphasizing: “It’s not.” 
• The CDC guidance issued last week said fully vaccinated people do not need to wear a mask indoors or outdoors, with a few exceptions: public transportation, healthcare settings, prisons and jails, and homeless shelters. 
• People are either reading the guidance too quickly “or listen to half of it,” said Fauci, a chief medical advisor to President Biden, as it is intended to be an “assurance to those who are vaccinated.” 
• “It did not explicitly say that unvaccinated people should abandon their masks,” he clarified. 

CRUCIAL QUOTE

“They are feeling that we’re saying: ‘You don’t need the mask anymore,’” Fauci outlined. “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.” 

KEY BACKGROUND

Fauci—and other top health officials—have been jumping between media appearances over the past week trying to clarify the CDC’s new guidance. The update from the agency stirred confusion because it does not override local mask mandates and because there is no way to track who has received a vaccine. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky asked Americans to “be honest with themselves” during a Sunday appearance on “Meet the Press” when asked about the uncertainty surrounding the guidance. “If they are vaccinated and they are not wearing a mask, they are safe,” she said. “If they are not vaccinated and they are not wearing a mask, they are not safe.”

SURPRISING FACT

A poll published Tuesday signaled unvaccinated people are approximately twice as likely as vaccinated people to feel comfortable performing activities without a mask, suggesting the CDC’s new guidance won’t incentivize them to get inoculated. As it stands, nearly half of Americans over 18 have been fully vaccinated, while 60% have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to CDC data.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

When the CDC green-lights vaccinated people to go mask-less in all situations, including those that are high risk. Fauci on Wednesday gave a little insight, saying he expects to keep wearing masks on airplanes for some time, but hopefully months and not years. 

Source: Fauci Says People Are ‘Misinterpreting’ New CDC Mask Guidance—Here’s What’s Going Wrong