In July 2020, Rochelle Walensky wrote a letter telling members of the Newton, Massachusetts City Council that “if people are masked it is quite safe and much more practical to be at 3 feet,” in relation to the reopening of America’s schools. After joining rank with the Biden administration, however, the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director changed her tune, telling reporters on Feb. 12 that “schools should require physical distancing of at least six feet.”
Biden announced the appointment of Walensky as the new director of the CDC on Dec. 7. The Harvard professor took the position from Robert R. Redfield, who was appointed under the leadership of President Trump.