President Biden refuses to follow CDC guidelines on mask wearing, claims he is taking "extra precautions" despite being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Despite pushing the public to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for COVID-19 prevention and safety, the President of the United States insists on following his own set of rules. In a recent interview, President Joe Biden, who is fully vaccinated, said he would continue to wear masks outdoors, despite CDC guidance saying that those who are fully vaccinated need not do so.
President Biden said in an interview with NBC News that as president, it's highly unlikely that people would not approach him when he is outdoors, which is why he chooses to remain wearing the face mask when outdoors.
"It's a small precaution to take that has a profound impact," Biden argued. "It's a patriotic responsibility for God's sake."
The New York Post reported that according to the CDC, fully vaccinated individuals, or individuals who have received two doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, are now allowed to forego wearing face masks when attending small outdoor gatherings regardless if other attendants have not been vaccinated.
CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky explained during a White House press briefing this week that "fully vaccinated people do not have to wear masks, particularly if they are outdoors." Walensky only cautioned people to wear masks when gathering indoors or in packed venues such as stadiums and concerts.
President Biden appears to disagree. He believes that aside from taking "extra precaution," it is the "patriotic responsibility" of every American to continue wearing face masks despite it not being needed by fully vaccinated individuals.
According to FOX News, senior advisor to the Biden administration Anita Dunn argued that despite not following CDC's advice, the president still takes the health officials' advice "very seriously." Dunn explained that President Biden has "always taken his role as sending a signal to follow the science very seriously."
President Biden, however, continues to send mixed signals on how effective the COVID-19 vaccine is for fully vaccinated people. It also highlights the possible infectivity of the vaccine or the face mask, which was previously found to have some negative effects according to a retracted study by Baruch Vainshelboim, previously from Stanford University.
The U.S. President's firm belief in wearing face masks as a "patriotic responsibility" is so firm that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under Biden's administration, had launched a "Mask Innovation Challenge" last month.
According to CNN, the $500,000 project called upon participants to "submit innovative ideas that would help eliminate common concerns that come with wearing masks while making sure they effectively protect against the coronavirus."
The face mask contest funded by the government will give away a $100,000 prize that will be split by 10 winners. Each face mask will be judged by "filtration efficiency, inhalation airflow resistance, fit and other test methods depending on the design."
Over 103 million Americans have now been fully vaccinated and no longer need to wear face masks outdoors.
