Fauci
says
wearing
masks
could
become
seasonal
following
the
pandemic
By
Paulina
Villegas
washingtonpost.com
WASHINGTON
-
Anthony
S.
Fauci,
the
nation’s
leading
infectious-disease
expert,
said
Sunday
that
people
may
decide
to wear
face
masks
during
certain
seasons
after
the
coronavirus
pandemic
has
ended to
help
avoid
spreading
or
contracting
respiratory
illnesses
like the
flu.
In
an
interview
on NBC’s
“Meet
the
Press,”
the
chief
medical
adviser
to the
White
House
pointed
out that
the
public
has
grown
accustomed
to
wearing
masks
and
added
that
quantifiable
data
shows
that its
use has
helped
stem the
spread
of other
viruses.
“We’ve
had
practically
a
nonexistent
flu
season
this
year
merely
because
people
were
doing
the
kinds of
public
health
things
that
were
directed
predominantly
against
covid-19,”
Fauci
said.
Fauci
added
that it
is
“conceivable”
that
during
seasonal
periods
where
respiratory-borne
viruses
such as
the flu
are
prevalent,
people
might
decide
in the
next
year or
two to
wear
masks to
diminish
the
possibility
of
either
spreading
or
catching
these
diseases.
Common
viruses
such as
influenza
have
virtually
disappeared
this
year,
partly
because
of
coronavirus
restrictions
like
face
masks.
And a
sharp
decline
in flu
infections
during
this
year’s
season
has led
to only
one
registered
pediatric
death,
compared
with
dozens
in past
years,
official
data
shows.
Fauci’s
remarks
come
about
two
weeks
after
federal
health
officials
said
fully
vaccinated
people
can go
without
masks
outdoors
when
walking,
jogging,
biking
or
dining
at
outdoor
restaurants.
The
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
continued
to
recommend
masking
in
crowded
outdoor
settings
and
venues
such as
stadiums
and
concerts
where it
was
difficult
to
maintain
social
distance
and
where
many
unvaccinated
people
could be
present.
The
announcement
brought
a sense
of
relief
to
pandemic-weary
Americans
after
more
than a
year of
shutdown
measures
and
mandatory
use of
masks.
But even
before
the
CDC’s
announcement,
states
such as
Kentucky
had
begun
easing
mask use
outdoors,
while
governments
in
Mississippi
and
Texas
lifted
the
restriction
altogether.
The
rapid
spread
of
covid-19
in the
United
States
began in
early
2020. A
lot has
changed
in our
day-to-day
lives
since
then,
including
the use
of face
masks.
(Allie
Caren/The
Washington
Post)
Since
the
beginning
of the
pandemic,
mask
mandates
have
been a
source
of
political
contention,
with
officials
either
seeking
to
require
face
coverings
to help
stem the
spread
of the
virus or
arguing
that
they
violate
personal
freedom.
Some
have
even
questioned
the
science
behind
it,
alluding
to
misinformation
as
mask-wearing
has
proven
to be
effective
in
reducing
the risk
of
infection.
Political
standoffs
sowed
confusion
about
when and
where to
wear
them.
As
the
nation
awaits
the end
of a
pandemic
that has
killed
more
than
581,000
people
in the
United
States
alone,
Biden is
now
hoping
that 70
percent
of
adults
will
have at
least
one
coronavirus
vaccine
shot by
the
Fourth
of July
to help
inch
closer
to
pre-pandemic
normalcy.
The
United
States
has
administered
at least
one dose
of the
coronavirus
vaccine
to 58
percent
of the
nation’s
adult
population,
according
to CDC
data.
But the
pace has
slowed
over the
past few
weeks
and
states
have
reported
a
decline
in
demand,
prompting
state
and
federal
officials
to find
incentives
for
people
to get
the
shot.
That
decline
in
demand
for the
vaccine
has
coincided
with
major
cities
preparing
to fully
reopen
ahead of
summer.
On
Sunday,
Fauci
adjusted
that
timeline
for a
return
to
normalcy
in an
interview
with
ABC’s
“This
Week,”
predicting
that it
could be
achieved
by
Mother’s
Day of
next
year. He
emphasized
that
such a
timetable
would be
possible
only if
an
“overwhelming
proportion”
of the
population
gets
vaccinated.
“I
hope
that
next
Mother’s
Day,
we’re
going to
see a
dramatic
difference
than
what
we’re
seeing
right
now. I
believe
that we
will be
about as
close to
back to
normal
as we
can,”
Fauci
said.