CDC Director Responds to COVID-19 Mask Mandate Speculation

The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) responded to speculation that COVID-19-related mask mandates or lockdowns could return, coming after the agency recommended new vaccine boosters for nearly all Americans.

In response, Mrs. Cohen said that the federal government and CDC have “all the tools we need to keep this virus at bay, if we use the vaccines and we use testing and treatment.”

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“Right now, what I see is I don’t see any need for mandates or those kinds of things right now. But we have to keep watching this virus, seeing how it changes, and if we need to make other recommendations, we will,” the CDC head added, adding that the virus “could change” and that “something could come out of left field.”

Her comment comes as the CDC issued a recommendation that people should receive the updated COVID-19 booster shot that targets the XBB1.5 sub-variant. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration similarly authorized and approved the new mRNA-based shots, made by Pfizer and Moderna.

Meanwhile, since mid-August, there has been widespread speculation that the CDC and other federal agencies may attempt to recommend or push lockdowns, vaccine mandates, or masking mandates in the midst of a small upswing in COVID-19 cases across the United States. A small number of schools, colleges, hospitals, and private businesses have implemented masking mandates, sparking alarm among some GOP elected officials and candidates.

When asked by The Epoch Times about discussions around a possible federal mask mandate recommendation, a spokesperson said late last month that COVID-19 hospital admission levels “are currently low for 96 percent” of the United States. A separate spokesperson told other outlets that there were no agency discussions about bringing mask mandates back, while no new masking guidelines have been issued on the CDC’s website in recent days.

The CDC in January 2021 issued an order that required people to wear masks on public transportation, including planes and inside transportation hubs. A federal judge struck down the rule a year later, allowing companies to switch to a mask-optional policy.

“Testing and treatment is an important tool, and, of course, as you mentioned, washing your hands, wearing a mask when there’s more circulating virus, staying home when you’re sick, improving ventilation,” Mrs. Cohen said in response to the reporter’s question. “These are all layers of tools that we can use to protect ourselve[s]. We’re in a better place than we’ve ever been to be able to do that. We just need to use these tools.”

Earlier this month, a school in Montgomery County, Maryland, controversially issued a mask mandate for a kindergarten class after several students tested positive for the virus. In August, a school in Alabama also made masking a requirement amid what it said was an increase in cases.

Some hospitals, too, issued mask mandates last month, and some offices have done the same. A probate judge in Dallas County, Alabama, confirmed to local media last week that a mandate would be enacted in government offices that deal with the public.

Over the past weekend, former White House COVID-19 advisor Anthony Fauci told ABC News that there may be a federal “recommendation that masks be used under certain circumstances in indoor crowded settings.” However, according to the longtime former federal health official, it’s unlikely that any mandates would be issued.

“I would be extremely surprised if we would see that,” he said, referring to mandates. “There may be local organizations that may require masks, but I think what we’re going to see mostly are, if the cases go up, that there might be recommendations, not mandates. There’s a big difference there.”