Delta cases may force US to bring back face masks

White House, health officials debate return to mask mandate, including for the fully vaccinated, as fears grow over Delta variant’s spread.

Concerns about the Delta variant’s spread could result in new messaging from White House officials or a change in recommendation regarding a return to masks. Picture: AFP

The White House and senior US health officials are debating whether to urge a return to masks, including for fully vaccinated Americans, to combat the surge in cases caused by the Delta variant.

Americans could be urged to resume wearing masks when vaccinated and unvaccinated people mix in public places. The requirement was lifted on May 13.

President Biden told a televised question-and-answer event he expected children under 12 to be urged to wear masks when they return to school. Biden has insisted vaccinations give protection against known variants and that fully vaccinated Americans can forgo masks.

US President Joe Biden has previously insisted vaccinations give protection against known variants and that fully vaccinated Americans can forgo masks. Picture: AFP

However, concerns about the Delta variant’s spread could result in new messaging from White House officials or a change in recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) public health agency, according to The Washington Post.

The Delta variant, which originated in India and is much more transmissible than the original strain, accounts for 83 per cent of cases in the US amid a 141 per cent rise in infections over the past two weeks to more than 40,000 a day.

The White House responds when asked if new mask CDC guidance is on the way @kaitlancollins reports @PamelaBrownCNNpic.twitter.com/XIWtr4S0ln

— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) July 22, 2021

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said that there were “ongoing discussions on how to keep the American people safe” but reiterated current advice that vaccinated people do not need to wear masks.

Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said that only unvaccinated people need to wear masks to be safe. “We are always looking at the data as the data come in,” she said. “Fully vaccinated people are protected from severe illness and we’ve always said that communities and individuals [should] make the decisions that are right for them based on their local areas.

“If you’re unvaccinated, you should absolutely be wearing a mask. If you’re vaccinated, you have exceptional levels of protection . . . and you may choose to add an extra layer of protection by putting on your mask.”

.@PressSec Jen Psaki: "What I can tell you is that there has been no decision to change our mask guidelines. Any decisions about public health would be driven by the CDC." https://t.co/qzkU9U5ClApic.twitter.com/aImwXr3B9G

— The Hill (@thehill) July 22, 2021

Biden told a CNN town hall in Cincinnati, Ohio, that the CDC is “going to say that what you should do is everyone under the age of 12 should probably be wearing masks in school. That’s probably what’s going to happen.”

Children over the age of 12 who were vaccinated “shouldn’t wear a mask”, Biden said. “It’s going to get tight whether mom or dad are being honest that Johnny did or didn’t get vaccinated.”

He said children under 12 would be able to have the vaccine soon.

The president, who is struggling to persuade some Americans to be vaccinated after missing his target for 70 per cent to have at least one dose by July 4, was criticised for offering a false blanket reassurance about its efficacy.

“If you’re vaccinated, you’re not going to be hospitalised, you’re not going to be in the [intensive care] unit, and you’re not going to die,” he said during the live broadcast. There have, however, been cases of this. As of July 12, official figures showed that 5,492 vaccinated people tested positive and were admitted to hospital or died out of more than 159 million Americans.

Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida, a state with one of the biggest rises in cases, vowed to resist any mask mandate. “There’s been talk about potentially people advocating at the federal level imposing compulsory masks on kids - we’re not doing that in Florida. Ok? We need our kids to breathe,” DeSantis said.

The Times