Biden Says Vaccinated Americans Should Keep Wearing Masks: ‘It’s a Patriotic Responsibility’

President Joe Biden said in an interview aired on Friday that it was a “patriotic duty” for vaccinated Americans to continue wearing masks indoors.

Biden made the remarks in an interview with NBC’s Craig Melvin, who noted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance this week that said vaccinated Americans could stop wearing masks in certain situations, including when they are outdoors and when they are actively exercising. “Are we no longer going to see the president of the United States outside with a mask on?” Melvin asked.

“Sure,” Biden replied. “But, I mean, what I’m going to do, though … it’s like, look, you and I took our masks off when I came in, because, look at the distance we are. But if we were in fact sitting there talking to one another, close, I’d have a mask on, and I’d like you to have a mask, even though we’ve both been vaccinated.”

Melvin and Biden were seated at least six feet apart for the interview, though CDC guidance explicitly requires adherents to keep face masks on even when they are six feet apart. The agency loosened that requirement for vaccinated individuals as part of its new guidelines.

“It’s a small precaution to take that has a profound impact,” Biden said. “It’s a patriotic responsibility, for God’s sake. It’s making sure that your wife, your children … making sure that they’re not going to get sick.”

Watch above via MSNBC.