CDC Director Walensky asked to clarify mask guidance during Senate panel
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During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., questioned Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about the agency's mask guidance that was released on Thursday for people who are vaccinated for COVID-19.
Video Transcript
SEN. KENNEDY: Ma'am Director could-- could you in 1 minute summarize for me what the recommendations are today from your agency about wearing masks?
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY: Last Thursday, we released guidelines that demonstrated for an individual who is able, who is fully vaccinated and not immunocompromised. That they are able to safely unmask with the exceptions certain exceptions, of course in travel corridors health care settings that if you are an individual you can safely unmask if you're fully vaccinated
SEN. KENNEDY: Inside and outside?
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY: Inside and outside.
SEN. KENNEDY: OK. What role do the stake regulations play with respect to that?
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY: Um, we are working now to update all areas of guidance but here is what is really-- I think important to understand, we are not a homogeneous United States. We have counties that have less than 20% vaccination.
SEN. KENNEDY: Yes, Ma'am. But I don't want to get too off of the question here. If I walk over to the House of Representatives, do I have to wear a mask?
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY: Those are locally driven policies but we felt that it was important for the science to, for us to convey the science of what is safe for individuals.
SEN. KENNEDY: Well, I'm trying to understand the CDC recommendations and I appreciate it. Based on the CDC recommendations, if I walk over to the House, are you recommending I wear a mask?
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY: If you-- you're by yourself walking over to the house and you're fully vaccinated--
SEN. KENNEDY: No, Ma'am, once I'm over there, I'm vaccinated. Once I'm over there, and I'm talking to some of my colleagues.
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY: We have really encouraged that the policies of mask wearing be locally driven, and the reason for that is because every community, every County has different rates of disease and different rates of vaccination and that's really--
SEN. KENNEDY: what's-- what's-- what's different about the house? Do you-- do you know?
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY: I don't actively-- I don't know the rate of vaccination around the Capitol nor the rate of disease around the Capitol off the top of my head.
SEN. KENNEDY: OK. What about airplanes?
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY: What is the policy on the airplanes? Currently the policy on airplanes is to wear a mask.
SEN. KENNEDY: OK. And why is it different on an airplane as opposed to a restaurant?
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY: So the CDC provides guidance um, for what is safe to do the-- the federal policy is obviously an interagency policy that we need to look at across different agencies. What I will say, though, is that there's very little choice when you board an airplane as to who's going to be sitting next to you, who's around you. And-- and also, airplanes may be a place where we have more variants because of the travel from international places.
