President Joe Biden has no plans to stop glad-handing supporters despite an uptick in coronavirus cases brought on by new variants.
“We abide by public health guidelines as it relates to the president’s engagements, and if public health guidelines changed, which I’m not predicting, we would continue to abide by them,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Friday.
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Biden, a longtime senator known for courting supporters outside events for hours, made an avid return to the political rope line as health precautions intended to halt the spread of coronavirus were updated earlier this year.
Infection rates subsided, but the spread of new, more transmissible variants is now growing. Federal health authorities attribute this to slow vaccine uptake in some populations. The disease is also evolving. Some new cases have infected even those who’ve had the vaccine.
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As coronavirus cases rise in California, Los Angeles County has instituted a return to indoor mask mandates. Most mask mandates were rolled back as vaccines became more widely available. Some vaccine-hesitant populations are seeing a sharp resurgence in cases, however.
Biden worked several rope lines in recent weeks following events to tout his twin infrastructure plans, smiling and taking selfies with audience members. He also has stopped for his favorite treat, ice cream, and not donned a mask inside the shops while mingling with other customers and staff.
