Dr.
Anthony Faucitold Axios that he believes âpeople are misinterpretingâ the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks indoors or physically distance in most cases. Many incorrectly took it as âa removal of a mask mandate for everyoneâ rather than âan assurance to those who are vaccinated that they can feel safe, be they outdoors or indoors,â Fauci said on Wednesday.Â
While medical experts have stressed that the update was justified by a growing body of scientific evidence, the abrupt overhaul of the Biden administrationâs policy nevertheless sparked a mix of confusion, celebration, and criticismâsome of which, Fauci suggested, may be a product of the way the news was disseminated to, and ingested by, the public. âItâs not their fault,â he said of misconceived notions around the new guidance, noting that âpeople either read them quickly, or listen and hear half of it.â But the nationâs top infectious disease expert also noted that the CDC âdid not explicitly say that unvaccinated people should abandon their masks.â