Joe Biden: ‘Probably Premature’ to Remove Coronavirus Mask Mandates

[mystery-ak]

Joe Biden: ‘Probably Premature’ to Remove Coronavirus Mask Mandates

Hannah Bleau 14 Feb 2022

President Joe Biden on Sunday said it is “probably premature” to remove coronavirus mask mandates, despite originally pitching “just” 100 days of masking prior to taking office.

During his lengthy interview, part of which aired on Super Bowl Sunday, Biden remarked about blue state governors who recently decided to lift mask restrictions in their states, calling it “probably premature” and a “tough call” to make.

“Every day that goes by, children are more protected,” Biden said, referencing vaccine availability.

“The more protection they have, probably you’re going to see less and less requirement to have the masks,” he added.

Biden’s remarks come well over a year after he first pitched a plan for “just” 100 days of masking in the United States.

“Wear your mask for just 100 days. It’s the easiest thing you can do to reduce COVID cases, hospitalizations, and death,” he said in a December 2020 speech prior to taking office.

“Whatever your politics or point of view — mask up for 100 days. Once we take office…100 days to make a difference. It’s not a political statement; it’s a patriotic act,” he continued.

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https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/02/14/joe-biden-probably-premature-remove-coronavirus-mask-mandates/

[Kamaji]

No, it isn't!

[mountaineer]

Except for a couple of appointments with doctors, I haven't worn a mask in public in well over a year and a half. No one has gotten sick, we're all fine.

Shut up, Joe, and have some tapioca.

[Kamaji]

Biden Calls Ending Mask Mandates 'Premature' but Can't Say When It Won't Be

The president is waiting until children, who have always faced an infinitesimal risk from COVID-19, are "more protected."

By Jacob Sullum
February 14, 2022

"It's hard to say whether they're wrong," President Joe Biden said in an NBC News interview that aired yesterday, referring to the Democratic governors who have recently lifted face mask requirements for businesses and/or schools. "I think it's probably premature, but it's a tough call."

Why is it a tough call? In his interview with NBC's Lester Holt, Biden suggested that such decisions depend partly on "whether the omicron variant continues to dive." He also mentioned the Food and Drug Administration's pending approval of COVID-19 vaccines for children younger than 5. "Every day that goes by, children are more protected," he said. "The more protection they have, probably you're going to see less and less requirement to have the masks."

In other words, Biden has no clear idea of when it will no longer be "premature" to stop forcing masks on adults in public places and children in schools and day care centers. The administration will not say what threshold must be crossed before those steps would be prudent, and the two criteria Biden mentioned—daily new cases and vaccination rates—are of dubious relevance now that Americans, including those who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, have the tools to protect themselves, regardless of whether everyone else is required to wear a mask.

Newly reported cases in the United States, which exploded from mid-December to mid-January, have fallen precipitously since then. Yesterday's seven-day average, according to the New York Times database, was less than 175,000, down 78 percent from the peak on January 17. Hospitalizations, which include patients who tested positive after they were admitted for other reasons, have dropped by 42 percent since January 19. The seven-day average of daily deaths, another lagging indicator, has been falling since February 1.

Also relevant as the Biden administration searches in vain for an "off-ramp": The currently dominant omicron variant, while highly contagious, tends to cause less severe symptoms than earlier iterations of the coronavirus, and vaccination provides additional protection. When I got COVID-19 last month, I was a bit congested for a few days, and that was pretty much it. I have had worse experiences with the common cold. Given omicron's relatively mild effects, my symptoms might have been about the same even if I had not been triply vaccinated, although I was grateful for whatever additional protection that provided.

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Source:  https://reason.com/2022/02/14/biden-calls-ending-mask-mandates-premature-but-cant-say-when-it-wont-be/