May 17, 2021 – CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD said people need to be “honest with themselves” when it comes to wearing a mask after the agency’s new guidance was announced last week.
Walensky appeared several times on Sunday morning talk shows to defend the agency’s new policy. For example, on CNN’s State of the Union show, she said the honor system plays a role so that people protected by vaccinations no longer need to wear a mask in most situations.
“How’s the honor system going?” Leanne M. Redman, PhD, a women’s health researcher in Baton Rouge, LA, asked on Twitter Monday. “Seems like there are no masks in Louisiana.”
How is the honor system going in YOUR state?
Asking for a friend. Seems like it’s not a mask in Louisiana! #MaskOn #MasksOff # COVID19
– Leanne M. Redman, PhD (@DrLeanneRedman) May 17, 2021
Walensky also appeared on Fox News on Sunday, stating that the new guidelines are based on science published over the past two weeks: studies that support the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines.
The relaxation of mask requirements only applies to people who are fully vaccinated. “For the unvaccinated, our policy hasn’t changed,” she said on ABCs This Week.
The new CDC manual surprised many. In addition, several questions continue to be raised, especially on social media, about how the recommendations should work in different settings and scenarios.
The emergency room doctor, Dr. Megan Ranney tweeted that the announcement came earlier than expected. She had predicted that wearing masks wouldn’t be relaxed until the summer. “A couple of weeks ago, I suggested on @CNNOpinion that the CDC’s guidelines for masks change in early summer as more Americans get vaccinated. (Because – vaccines work wonderfully well, period.) Today’s announcement is frankly earlier than me expected. “
A few weeks ago, I suggested on @CNNOpinion that the CDC guidelines for masks would change in early summer as more Americans were vaccinated. (Because – vaccines work wonderfully well, period.)
Today’s announcement is honestly earlier than I expected.
Thoughts: https://t.co/nSH649m00p
– Megan Ranney, MD @ @ @meganranney (@meganranney) May 14, 2021
Strong opinion against the CDC’s action came from Lawrence Gostin of the World Health Organization’s Center for Global Health Law. On Saturday, he tweeted that the move was “one of the CDC’s most serious mistakes” in recent times.
Other health professionals and experts were quick to speak out for and against the new guidelines.
Whether or not to wear a mask remains an issue, even among the fully vaccinated. ET Mitra, a gastrointestinal nurse in New York City, shared the concern on Twitter: “I’ve seen too many COVID-19 horror stories and still prefer to hide from strangers. When I put my mask inside wear, will people think I’m anti-vax? “
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