ATLANTA (LifeSiteNews) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) issued a new set of masking recommendations Tuesday calling on most Americans, from toddlers to adults, to continue keeping their noses and mouths covered while using public transportation.
The statement “recommends that everyone aged 2 and older – including passengers and workers – properly wear a well-fitting mask or respirator over the nose and mouth in indoor areas of public transportation (such as airplanes, trains, etc.) and transportation hubs (such as airports, stations, etc.).” It also “encourage[s] operators of public transportation and transportation hubs to support mask wearing by all people, including employees.”
“[I]t is important for all of us to protect not only ourselves, but also to be considerate of others at increased risk for severe COVID-19 and those who are not yet able to be vaccinated,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. “Wearing a mask in indoor public transportation settings will provide protection for the individual and the community.”
The announcement indicates that the Biden administration is not yet willing to give up on pushing masks, despite the advice of Democrat strategists that the issue is alienating voters. It also implies a lack of confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines’ ability to prevent the spread of the virus.
The announcement also conflicts with evidence indicating that masking has been largely ineffective at limiting the spread of the virus, starting with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s own September 2020 acknowledgement that masks cannot be counted on to keep out COVID when spending 15 minutes or longer within six feet of someone, and a May 2020 study published by CDC’s peer-reviewed journal Emerging Infectious Diseases that “did not find evidence that surgical-type face masks are effective in reducing laboratory-confirmed influenza transmission, either when worn by infected persons (source control) or by persons in the general community to reduce their susceptibility.”
Last May, another study found that, though mandates effectively increased mask use, that usage did not yield the expected benefits. “Mask mandates and use (were) not associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 spread among U.S. states” from March 2020 to March 2021. In fact, the researchers found the results to be a net negative, with masks increasing “dehydration … headaches and sweating and decreas[ing] cognitive precision,” and interfering with communication, as well as impairing social learning among children.
Last month, a federal judge struck down the Biden administration’s mandate that masks be worn on airplanes and public transportation; the administration has signaled it intends to challenge the ruling.