WASHINGTON DC (WSAU) – The White House stated Tuesday that President Joe Biden will wear a mask in certain situations and socially isolate himself after his first wife, Jill Biden, tested positive for COVID late Monday night.
“He’s not experiencing any symptoms,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “As far as the steps that he is taking since the president was with the first lady yesterday, he will be masking while indoors and around people in alignment with CDC guidance. And, as has been the practice in the past, the president will remove his mask when sufficiently distanced from others indoors and while outside as well.”
According to the Daily Wire, Biden’s return to masking follows multiple notable studies over the last year that found that cloth masks and other non-N95 masks had very little impact on halting the spread of the virus.
Over the last two years, several studies, including ones from Cambridge University and MIT, have also stated that the “6-foot rule” and social distancing do not protect against catching COVID-19, especially outdoors. MIT stated back in 2021 that the risk of catching COVID is the same at 60 feet as it is at 6 feet in a room where the air is mixed.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ previous director, Anthony Fauci, recently publicly refuted those studies during an interview on CNN, saying, “I am concerned that people will not abide by recommendations. I would hope that if we get to the point that the volume of cases is such and organizations like the CDC—the CDC does not mandate anything—recommend that people wear masks, I would hope that people abide by that recommendation and take into account the risks to themselves and their families.”
First Lady Jill Biden last tested positive for COVID-19 in August of 2022, and the president has also tested positive for the illness twice since 2020.
For the time being, Biden is still planning to attend the G20 summit later this week, which will be held in India.
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