Masks are again being recommended, even for the vaccinated, according to CDC Director Walensky because of the Delta Variant—the latest flipflop in guidance issued by federal health officials. On May 13, the CDC recommended that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks.
“Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” Walensky told reporters during a news conference. “If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all longed for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy.”
RT News reported on Thursday what seems to be a comprehensive timeline of the "history of the CDC's consistently inconsistent advice on face coverings" going as far back as 2004.
Anthony Fauci, who also weighed in on the subject on July 27, explains the rationale for pushing masks whether one is vaccinated or not. He contends that there is evidence that the Delta Variant is highly transmissible and that "vaccinated people who get breakthroughs can actually transmit their virus to others."
Ironically, in an email exchange with Sylvia Burwell on the subject of mask-wearing in Feb. 2020, Fauci states that the "typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus..." a statement he has repeatedly argued was taken out of context.
Fauci Email Exchange On Masks/Feb. 2020
A study that was updated on July 27 is one of the reasons the CDC and federal officials are pushing for masks again. Another study on July 28 on breakthrough cases in healthcare workers may also be informing the decision. There is data coming through in all parts of the country on breakthrough cases.
A statement of guidance from the CDC called "Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People" was released on July 28. The guidance recommends that the "fully vaccinated people might choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission" and also recommended, "universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status."
Walensky, allegedly in a CDC media telebriefing on the new guidance who joined at the 6:37 timestamp, told listeners that the decision to recommend masks even for the vaccinated "was not made lightly." She acknowledged that people are "tired and frustrated" and that it is "not a welcome piece of news for those who have already been vaccinated."
Both Walensky and Fauci referred to the issue of viral load and high transmissibility as factors in the changed guidance. They say they are both "following the science," stating that the Delta "remains the predominant variant circulating in the United States." Walensky continued with this excerpt from the above teleconference:
"In recent days, I have seen new scientific data from recent outbreak investigations showing that the Delta variant behaves uniquely differently from past strains of the virus that caused Covid-19. Information on the Delta Variant from several states and other countries indicates that in rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with the Delta Variant after vaccination may be contagious and spread the virus to others. This new science is worrisome and, unfortunately, warrants an update to our recommendations."
Walensky strongly recommended, "vaccination to reduce the spread of the virus in the community." She stated that masks are strongly recommended in public indoor settings. The Epoch Times reported, "Of the nation’s 3,219 counties, 2,043 are at high or substantial transmission, according to the CDC."
Additionally, the CDC has issued a new recommendation to receive the vaccine even if you have had the virus—a perplexing recommendation given that decades of research indicate that prior infection provides robust natural immunity, as reported by UncoverDC. Notably, the Cleveland Clinic study is still under peer review.
A recent Cleveland Clinic study shows that natural immunity acquired through prior infection with COVID-19 is more robust than the benefits one would gain from the vaccine, rendering it unnecessary. The claim reveals that previously infected individuals had 96.4% immune protection from COVID-19, versus 94.4% in those injected with the vaccine.
The NIH in January 2021 also seemed to confirm that natural immunity provides "durable memories of the virus up to eight months after infection."
With children going back to school soon and the fatigue of complying with mask mandates, quarantines, vaccines, and testing—many are fighting back. Congressman Chip Roy delivered an impassioned speech to Congress on mask mandates and "edicts from power-obsessed public health 'experts.'"
Roy also pointed out the issue of illegal aliens coming across the border in droves who are "heavily infected with Covid." There has been a significant uptick in Southwest Land Encounters in 2021 because of Biden's immigration policies.
Southwest Border Encounters/Customs and Border Protection
Sargent Manuel Casas, with the La Joya, California police department, held a press conference during which he referred to the I-385 Form that gives illegals 60 days to reach their destinations in the United States and report to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He spoke specifically about a family whose members were found to be infected with the virus.
According to US News, as of July 29, these are the U.S. states and territories with mask mandates:
American Samoa | California | Connecticut | District of Columbia | Guam | Hawaii | Illinois | Nevada | New Mexico | New York | Oregon | Puerto Rico | Rhode Island | U.S. Virgin Islands | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia
Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | Colorado | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Idaho | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | New Hampshire | New Jersey | North Carolina | North Dakota | Northern Mariana Islands | Ohio | Oklahoma | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Wisconsin | Wyoming
Missouri made national news with its repeal of a mask mandate on Tuesday, just one day after it was put into effect. Councilman Ernie Trakas stated:
“Too many American men and women have given the last full measure of devotion for us to be cavalier with the very liberty they fought and died to provide. I will not abide any measures that seek to compromise or erode our liberty and freedom.”
Colleges and universities all over the country are scrambling to figure out what to do in the fall about masks because of the new guidance. And the world's largest utility, NextEra Energy, may mandate the vaccine for its "15,000 employees in 28 states."
Oddly enough, there is recent footage of President Biden mingling with a crowd of unmasked people. Biden issued a statement on the CDC's guidance on July 27. Multiple agencies in the federal government are pushing both the vaccine and masking, including but not limited to the Coast Guard, the Department of Defense, and The Department of Veterans Affairs. Biden is scheduled to announce on Thursday his plans to mandate the vaccine for all federal workers. According to reporting from NBC News,
"In a fact sheet shared ahead of the president's speech, the White House said that the administration is asking federal employees to attest to their vaccination status. Those who do not attest to being fully vaccinated will be required to wear a mask, socially distance from other employees and visitors, get tested up to twice a week for Covid, and be subject to restrictions on official travel.
"The Administration will encourage employers across the private sector to follow this strong model," the White House said.
With fines of $500 for non-compliance, Speaker Pelosi's new mask mandate has angered many in Congress. Pelosi has directed the Capitol Police to arrest staff and visitors who fail to comply with her rules.
Leader McCarthy responded to Pelosi's "hypocrisy" on July 28 about masks and vaccines, saying "there is no science" on masks. What "frustrates Americans the most," he said, "is hypocrisy," referring to multiple government officials, including his recent sighting of Speaker Pelosi, in a crowded room without a mask.
McCarthy told his colleagues that "Americans want to get back to school, back to work, and back to health."