The White House denied President Joe Biden was not effectively leading the country’s COVID-19 response even as Democratic governors roll back pandemic restrictions, ignoring federal public health guidance.
Biden understood the need to be flexible and the importance of public health recommendations meeting “the moment,” according to press secretary Jen Psaki.
“We recognize people are tired with the pandemic. They’re tired of wearing masks,” she told reporters Wednesday. “What our focus is on is looking at the data and science.”
Psaki also defended the White House from criticism it was being hypocritical after it slammed Republican governors, such as Florida’s Ron DeSantis, when they took similar measures, particularly regarding mask-wearing in schools.
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“There is a distinct difference between standing in the way, which Ron DeSantis did,” she said. “There’s a difference between standing in the way of it, threatening to pull back funding and allowing for local school districts to make choices, which is what a number of these states are doing.”
“I don’t think the federal experts on health and medical advice should be irrelevant to Americans at a time where we’re still facing a pandemic,” Psaki added.
This comes as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky reiterated her federal agency’s guidelines regarding indoor mask-wearing in high transmission areas.
During her CDC briefing Wednesday, Walensky underscored hospitalizations and death rates were “still high” despite falling case numbers.
“We are encouraged by current trends,” she said. “We are not there yet.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul joined counterparts elsewhere in the country on Wednesday, announcing she would let her statewide business mask mandate expire. However, a rule covering schools will remain in place until March.
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Connecticut has already promised to lift its school mask mandate on Feb. 28. New Jersey will do the same on March 7.
