Biden Didn’t Wear a Mask Even Though He Has Covid-19. He Doesn’t Have to, According to the CDC’s Rules
From the AP: Rehoboth Beach, Del. A few times after the White House said President Joe Biden had tested positive for COVID-19, he did not wear a face mask in public. The White House said that the Democratic incumbent was having “mild” symptoms, and the president’s doctor said that Biden would stay home by himself “in line with CDC guidance for symptomatic individuals.”
What does the CDC say about this? What does the White House say?
After the news on Wednesday, Biden got out of the car without a mask when he got to the Las Vegas airport, where he had already been several times, and got on Air Force One. Doctors say that masks can help stop the spread of disease. When he got off the plane hours later at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, he was also not wearing one. Agents and staff from the Secret Service were all around Biden the whole time.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said in Wednesday’s news that Biden, 81, was having “mild” symptoms and would follow through with plans to go to his home in Rehoboth Beach and be alone.
In a separate statement, Biden’s doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, said that Biden had a runny nose, a dry cough, and a “general malaise.” He said that Biden was taking the drug Paxlovid and would be self-isolating as recommended by the CDC for people who are showing symptoms.
What the CDC says
As part of a larger plan to stop the spread of disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges people who are getting better from COVID-19 or any other respiratory sickness to wear masks. However, masks are not required.
People who are sick should “stay home and away from others,” according to the CDC. People can go back to their normal lives once their symptoms have started to get better and their fever has gone away.
Masks are an “additional strategy” that the CDC says can help stop the spread of disease, but it is usually up to each person to decide if they want to use them or not. It says that masks are “especially helpful” when someone is sick and that they should be worn as a safety measure while they are getting better.
What the White House says
The White House has not replied to an email asking them to explain why Biden didn’t wear a mask.
What’s up with Biden?
On Thursday, O’Connor said that Biden is still having mild upper respiratory effects from COVID-19. The president doesn’t have a fever, and all of his vital signs stayed the same. The drug Paxlovid is being used to treat him.
On Thursday, Quentin Fulks, Biden’s main deputy manager for reelection, said that Biden was “feeling fine” and was working and making calls. Along with other people from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Fulks spoke at a news conference.
Reporters were given a separate Zoom briefing by White House national security spokesperson John Kirby. Kirby said that Biden was “being kept up to speed as appropriate by his leadership team, and that certainly includes on the national security front.”