Former Surgeon General Says Updated CDC Mask Rules Are Wrong

Former US Surgeon General Jerome Adams said that the government’s mask rules may either be premature or wholly wrong. Adams said that in the face of the Delta variant, easing up on the coronavirus mask rules may come too soon. 

RELATED: CDC Says You Can Ditch the Mask if Fully Vaccinated

CDC Wrong About Mask Rules

Adams was the surgeon general under former President Donald Trump. During the earlier parts of the pandemic, he was adamant against wearing masks and wouldn’t advise Americans to do so. However, Adams took a U-turn from his earlier stance. Now, he took to Twitter to express his regrets. 

“Last year Tony Fauci and I famously, prematurely, & wrongly advised against masks,” Adams wrote. “I felt it was the best call at the time, but now regret it. I’m worried the CDC also made a similarly premature, misinterpreted, yet still harmful call on masking in the face of [rising] delta variant.” 

CDC Updated Guidelines In May

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advocated last May that fully vaccinated Americans shouldn’t have to wear masks or socially distance themselves. 

The agency also advised that Americans should only wear masks in areas with higher cases of COVID-19, at least until the number of infections dies down. At the time, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky fully supported the guidance and hailed it as a major step toward normalcy. 

However, the entry of the COVID-19 delta variant is about to question the effectiveness of the new mask rules. Delta became the leading COVID-19 strain within a matter of a few weeks. The Delta strain claims as many as half of the new cases found in the United State. In fact, the CDC already declared last July 6 that the country's dominant strain is now the delta variant. 

Fauci Insists On No Mask If Vaccinated

However, Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief White House medical advisor, and Infectious Diseases director reiterated the CDC mask rules on July 1.

He insisted that this broad recommendation draws from the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. “As I was alluding to in my comments, you have a broad recommendation for the country as a whole, which is CDC recommendation that if you are vaccinated, you have a high degree of protection, so you need not wear a mask whether indoor or outdoor,” Fauci said during a recent White House COVID-19 Response Team briefing.

Despite the threat of the delta variant, vaccinations still remain slow in some states, particularly the Midwest. Meanwhile, the White House announced it will dispatch surge response teams to areas affected by a spike in delta strains. The first time will visit Springfield, Missouri, and will plan on conducting operations there until August 6.

Watch the CBC News video reporting that Los Angeles will reinstate mask mandate regardless of vaccination status as COVID cases surge:

Do you still wear masks? Does vaccination negate the need to wear one? Let us know what you think about the Delta variant spread and the current US mask rules.

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