Masks Return to White House, U.S. House Based on CDC's Reversed Guidance
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed their guidelines, masks were again required among members of the House in the United States Capitol due to the nationwide increase of COVID-19 cases.
According to NPR, Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician of Congress, ordered the reimplementation of the mandate from CDC. Based on the mandate, vaccinated and unvaccinated members of the House should wear a "well-fitted, medical-grade, filtration face mask" inside House office buildings during officials' meetings and while in the House Chamber.
However, the order from Dr. Monahan does not affect the members of the Senate.
The return of masks in the House came a month after the requirement was first lifted for its vaccinated members. Members who would fail to wear their masks would be punished by a fine or denial of entry into the chamber.
Republican representatives Thomas Massie, Ralph Norman, Marjorie Taylor Greene were each fined $500 in May for refusing to wear masks. After losing their appeals to the House Ethics Committee, the Republican representatives stated this week that they were suing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the fines that they faced, The Louisville Courier-Journal reported.
After hearing the latest order about the wearing of masks once again, Minority Leader of the United States House of Representative Kevin McCarthy immediately criticized efforts made by the CDC and the House. The Republican posted on his social media account:
"Make no mistake-The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state."
The Stand of CDC
The increasing cases across the U.S. due to the highly contagious Delta variant prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reverse its earlier position on wearing face coverings. CDC said in a statement that it recommended even some fully vaccinated individuals of wearing masks indoors, especially if they are living in areas with a significant or high spread of the virus. Based on the latest findings, the Delta variant is more than two times as transmissible as the original strain of COVID-19. However, all the vaccines have shown substantial protection against the possible development of severe illness in individuals who were infected with the delta strain.
White House Reporters' Requirement
The White House Correspondent's Association also made an announcement Tuesday that in the wake of the CDC releasing its new guidance, they would also require reporters to wear masks while they are inside the White House.
During an interview, the White House also mentioned that even President Joe Biden and other fully vaccinated administration officials would be abiding by the CDC's new guidance and they would wear masks appropriately.
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Written by Jess Smith
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