Washington: US President Joe Biden has issued a statement following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) masking guidance and said it is another step to defeat COVID-19. In a statement, the President said: Today's announcement by the CDC--that new research and concerns about the Delta variant leads CDC to recommend a return to masking in parts of the country--is another step on our journey to defeating this (COVID-19) virus. I hope all Americans who live in the areas covered by the CDC guidance will follow it; I certainly will when I travel to these areas."
Today, the CDC also reaffirmed that we can safely reopen schools this fall--full time. "Masking students is inconvenient, I know, but will allow them to learn and be with their classmates with the best available protection," he said. Biden said the most important protection we have against the Delta variant is to get vaccinated. Although most US adults are vaccinated, too many are not. While we have seen an increase in vaccinations in recent days, we still need to do better. "On Thursday, I will lay out the next steps in our effort to get more Americans vaccinated. Vaccinations are free, safe, and effective for every American. They've been available to every adult in this country for more than three months--at locations within 5 miles of 90 per cent of the US population," he added.