President Joe Biden once promised that he wouldn’t shut down the country but that he would “shut down the virus.” He hasn’t really lived up to that promise, and it isn’t clear that he even wants to.

Biden is now dragging the country backward, as his administration is now recommending masks go back on for the fully vaccinated. This comes as COVID-19 cases surge, thanks to the delta variant, yet deaths remain steadily low thanks to a combination of vaccinations, natural immunity, and improved techniques for managing symptoms in acute cases.