As expected, on Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reversed its previous recommendation that vaccinated individuals could go maskless, even in schools. It is now calling for universal masking in K-12 schools.
“Given new evidence on the B.1.617.2 [Delta] variant, CDC has updated the guidance for fully vaccinated people. CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place,” the guidance reads.
There’s just one big problem with this recommendation: It has nothing to do with science.
The CDC’s own data show that new infections of those fully vaccinated are extremely rare.
The Delta variant of COVID, while more contagious, has a significantly lower case fatality rate than the original strain.
The CDC’s own data show that COVID is less deadly than the seasonal flu for kids ages 0-17 years.
Dr. Fauci acknowledged early on that masks don’t protect healthy people from getting COVID.
On top of all that, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky even admitted on CNN that “we don’t have any evidence” that the Delta variant makes kids sicker.
The CDC even acknowledged back in July that “multiple studies have shown that transmission within school settings is typically lower than — or at least similar to — levels of community transmission, when prevention strategies are in place in schools.” So why are schools suddenly requiring vaccinated people to mask up? What suddenly has the CDC making schools out to be ground zero in the pandemic?
Remember when the CDC said it was safe for fully vaccinated people to go maskless in most indoor settings, including schools? While most people were thrilled, the teachers’ unions, which didn’t even want schools to reopen, were livid and continued to lobby the CDC to bring back the mask mandate in schools until the COVID vaccines are authorized for kids under 12. It looks like they got their wish.
In fact, teachers’ unions have had much success exerting their influence to alter the “science” cited by the CDC to make it match what the unions wanted. Despite the safety of reopening schools fully, the teachers’ unions were claiming that to go back and do their jobs was putting their lives at risk; thus, they blocked schools from reopening nationwide.
“Today, the CDC also reaffirmed that we can safely reopen schools this fall—full time,” Joe Biden said in a statement released on Tuesday. “Masking students is inconvenient, I know, but will allow them to learn and be with their classmates with the best available protection.”
Inconvenient is not the word I would use. It’s completely useless. Shameless political theater that does nothing to protect anyone but keeps the liberal teachers’ unions happy because they’re convinced they’re on the frontlines of the pandemic when they are not.
Related: Tragic First-Person Accounts of the Effects of COVID-19 School Closures on Children
“Most importantly, today’s announcement also makes clear that the most important protection we have against the Delta variant is to get vaccinated,” Biden added.
Oh really? Then why mandate masks for those who are fully vaccinated?
None of this makes any sense. Science isn’t factoring into this decision one bit.