Former FDA Chief Scott Gottlieb Says Risks of Kids Wearing Masks Outside ‘Probably Greater Than Any Benefit’

Former Food and Drug Commission chief Scott Gottlieb said Friday he believed that wearing masks outside posed more risks for children than benefits.

“I don’t think kids should be wearing masks outside,” Gottlieb said in an interview on CNBC. “I think the risks of wearing a mask and of heat exposure are probably greater than any benefit they’re going to derive from wearing a mask.”

Gottlieb headed the FDA from 2017-19 and presently sits on the board of Pfizer, the manufacturer of one of the three Covid-19 vaccines approved in the United States.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated federal guidance for summer camps on Friday to state that vaccinated adolescents should not be required to wear face masks, along with younger, unvaccinated people in outdoor settings.

About 2.5 million people in the older group have received Covid-19 vaccines to date. A vaccine has yet to be approved for those younger than 12.

“As they go to indoor settings, you know, go into lunchrooms and things like that, and they congregate in spaces with poor air circulation … I could still see a situation where you’re taking precautions with children,” Gottlieb said.

“I think we’ve done enough to give ourselves an opportunity to enjoy the summer and be at low risk this summer,” he added. “I do think that this is going to be a risk as we get into the fall and probably more likely the winter.”

Watch above via CNBC.