Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb says wearing masks outdoors should not be a requirement.
“People could choose to wear a mask if they want to. I think there shouldn’t be requirements that they have to wear masks outdoors. I think we should also be thinking about how to rapidly lift requirements and mandates on gatherings outside,” Gottlieb said during an appearance on CNBC Monday.
He added, “We know activities outside are lower risk than things done indoors.”
Gottlieb suggested that public health officials are reluctant to relax restrictions because when they lift requirements, they will not be able to reimpose them.
“They want to make sure that the trends are in fact down. But the trends are down. The gains that we’re seeing right now against the virus are being solidified through vaccination and immunity in the population,” Gottlieb continued.
Watch his remarks below:
"There shouldn't be requirements that they have to wear mask outdoors. I think we should also be thinking about how to rapidly lift requirements and mandates on gatherings outside," says @ScottGottliebMD. "Well more than 60% of the public has some form of immunity." pic.twitter.com/L0Tc1SsSWG
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) April 26, 2021
When touching on how people are gathering and removing their masks, Gottlieb acknowledged there is still a downward trajectory.
“That’s because there’s so much immunity in the population at this point, well more than 60% of the public has some form of immunity,” Gottlieb said.
CNN reported President Joe Biden is expected on Tuesday to announce the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated guidelines for wearing masks outdoors, according to three people familiar with the anticipated announcement.
Dr. Anthony Fauci on Sunday indicated the CDC would be updating its guidelines.
“I think it’s pretty common sense now that outdoor risk is really, really quite low, particularly — I mean, if you are a vaccinated person, wearing a mask outdoors, I mean, obviously, the risk is minuscule,” Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week.”
He continued, “What I believe you’re going to be hearing, what the country is going to be hearing soon is updated guidelines from the CDC. The CDC is a science-based organization. They don’t want to make any guidelines unless they look at the data, and the data backs it up.”