Chris Wallace Confronts CDC Director on ‘Abrupt Shift’ in Mask Guidelines: ‘It Certainly Has Created Some Confusion’

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is appearing on multiple Sunday shows today to address the new guidance about masks.

Walensky announced last week that vaccinated people can shed their masks in most situations as the vaccine rollout continues. On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace questioned her about what went into that decision-making.

“On Wednesday night, you were still arguing, still making the case that people who are fully vaccinated needed to wear masks indoors,” Wallace said. “And then Thursday, less than 24 hours later, you said, no, it changed, now you don’t need masks if you’re fully vaccinated either indoors or outdoors. Would you agree that this abrupt shift was not handled as well as it might have been?”

Walensky said that “things in this pandemic are starting to turn around” and brought up the new data the CDC has received in just the past week.

Wallace brought up people’s frustration with previous masking guidelines, as well as the “increasing pressure” the CDC was under, and asked Walensky, “Can you state flatly to the American people that pressure had nothing to do with the abrupt shift in the CDC guidelines?”

“Yes, I can,” Walensky responded. “I’m delivering the science as the science is delivered to the medical journals. It evolved over this last week. The cases came down over these last two weeks.”

Wallace noted that while the guidance is good news for people, “it certainly has created some confusion and even concern.”

He questioned Walensky about one potential issue with this new guidance — unvaccinated people not masking up — and asked, “Aren’t you in a sense relying on an unrealistic honor system?”

Walensky pointed to the ongoing vaccination rollout and said, “The honor system is to be honest with yourself. If you are vaccinated, we are saying you are safe, you can take off your mask, and you are not at risk of severe disease or hospitalization from covid-19. If you are not vaccinated, you are not safe. Please go get vaccinated or continue to wear your mask.”

You can watch above, via Fox News Sunday.