Washington (CNN) Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday called for a cautious approach to reopening the US and implored Americans to wear face masks in public, comments that are at odds with President Donald Trump's push to have America quickly return to normalcy.
"I want to protect myself and protect others, and also because I want to make it be a symbol for people to see that that's the kind of thing you should be doing," Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert and a member of the White House's coronavirus task force, told CNN's Jim Sciutto on "Newsroom."
Fauci said he believes that while wearing a mask is not "100% effective," it is a valuable safeguard and shows "respect for another person."
The wearing of masks while out in public has emerged as a politically charged issue as Trump has called for a return to pre-pandemic life in the hopes of revitalizing the US economy. He has repeatedly declined opportunities to wear a mask in public, telling reporters at a Ford plant in Michigan last week that he "didn't want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it," though he did wear a mask while touring parts of the plant.
This week, Trump shared a tweet that mocked former Vice President Joe Biden for wearing a mask Monday at a Memorial Day ceremony, prompting the presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee to call Trump "an absolute fool."
WeddingElly on May 27th, 2020 at 15:14 UTC »
I don't know where this fear of "not looking cool" thing comes from.
First, it doesn’t look cool to go maskless. It’s a fucking pandemic. You look like someone who only cares about themself (or less commonly, you look like you have a health condition that prevents you from wearing a mask but let’s not kid ourselves, if you’re prancing around like nothing’s wrong with no care of social distancing, you’re not that)
Second, no one cares how you look under a mask. I don't even bother with makeup or decent/neat/stylish clothes anymore to go out - thanks to facemasks, no one knows who I am anyways. I mean it’s not like I’m recognizable normally but with a mask on, I feel pretty much invisible to anyone’s judgment or evaluation
It’s actually a bit freeing in that respect, esp. since the pandemic has sapped my energy to make an effort on some days
stave000 on May 27th, 2020 at 14:10 UTC »
This is why the criticism of Biden wearing a mask outdoors was so stupid. Is it technically ok for him to not wear a mask based on CDC guidelines in that situation, yes. But he is a public figure campaigning to run this country, it is his duty to act as a model for what the rest of us should be doing. Same goes for Trump, and Fauci, and everyone else in the government. Of course some people think it makes them look weak or whatever so instead they would rather have the virus spread and cause a culture war....
tercerero on May 27th, 2020 at 14:05 UTC »
It's really not difficult to do the right thing. When I think about what could have happened with this crisis to join the people of the world united against one cause, it's horrifying to see it used to push us further apart.