CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta Presses HHS Sec Azar on White House Holding Christmas Parties While Americans Are Being Advised to Avoid Holiday Gatherings

CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta questioned Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar Monday on the White House holding Christmas parties despite the fact that Americans are being advised to avoid such gatherings.

Jake Tapper opened the interview asking about the vaccine rollout so far, with frontline workers already getting vaccinated, and how President Donald Trump specifically should be using his platform to share the public health advisories.

The White House has already been hosting indoor parties this month and plans to hold additional indoor parties planned for Christmas.

Gupta brought up to Azar how “we’ve spent so much time recently… telling people not to have holiday gatherings.”

“And yet more than a dozen holiday parties going on at the White House,” he continued. “How are we supposed to reconcile this? I know you attended one of these parties. How do you reconcile this, and what message do you think the American people should take away from that?”

Azar said he’s personally “not as prescriptive as the way you describe it” and said while people are at greater risk indoors, “each of us have to decide our own risk tolerances and what our behaviors will be.”

“My message is the same, regardless of setting, whether it’s a White House Christmas gathering or someone at their house, it’s wash your hands, watch your distance, and wear your face covering when you can’t watch your distance. It’s the same message,” he said.

Gupta asked more directly if he agrees with the public health advisories against indoor gatherings with people outside their household.

Azar again said that people are at greater risk indoors but added, “If you’re going to be inside, then certainly try to have as much ventilation as possible, including opening windows as much as possible or, if you ever a ceiling fan, turn it so it pulls upward. Have good, safe food handling practices.”

Tapper also asked Azar about the grim news that the covid death toll has reached 300,000 just today.

Azar talked about the pain and anguish many Americans have felt — revealing that his father died in April and he was unable to see him for weeks beforehand — and said, “We want these deaths to stop. We want to turn around the hospitalizations. We want cases to go down.”

You can watch above, via CNN.