“CBS This Morning” host Gayle King challenged Dr. Anthony Fauci during a Thursday interview, asking for clearer guidance on face masks.
King noted that in her own personal experience, people were confused about when it was safe to go without a face mask — and said that even those who knew they weren’t posing a risk to others felt judged if they dared to take the masks off in public. (RELATED: Chris Cuomo Questions The CDC, Then Criticizes Susan Collins For Questioning The CDC But Not The GOP)
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“Dr. Fauci, please help us with the mask situation,” King began, recounting a conversation she had recently with another woman she had stopped on the street in New York.
After asking whether the woman was vaccinated (she was), King said that she was also vaccinated and then asked, “Why are we wearing masks?”
“I don’t know,” was the woman’s response.
King turned to Fauci then, adding, “I think we all feel guilt or feel it’s not time or see everybody else doing it. It’s monkey see, monkey do. Is it — do you really think it’s okay? Because I still feel judged. I feel people are giving you the side eye. It’s not comfortable, Dr. Fauci.”
“I know, Gayle. We’ve got to make that transition,” Fauci replied, saying that in all but the strangest outdoor situations people who have been vaccinated should not be worried about masks.
“If you were going into a completely crowded situation where people are essentially falling all over each other, then you wear a mask,” Fauci said. “But any other time, if you’re vaccinated and you’re outside, put aside your mask. You don’t have to wear it.”
“Okay. People are still judging,” King concluded, pivoting to ask Fauci if he’d discuss his contentious relationship with Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, but Fauci said that he did not want to get into a “tit-for-tat.”