Fox Host Confronts CDC's Walensky Over 'Abrupt Shift' in Mask Guidance Creating Confusion

Fox News anchor Chris Wallace confronted Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in a Sunday interview, questioning her over the abrupt change last week in federal guidance regarding wearing face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CDC announced new guidance on Thursday, saying that fully-vaccinated Americans do not need to wear masks inside or outside, except in several specific settings. The significant shift in federal guidance was unexpected and led to confusion in many parts of the country, as local officials and businesses grappled with how to respond.

Meanwhile, some public health experts and medical workers have condemned the decision—arguing it came too soon.

"On Wednesday night, you were still arguing—still making the case that people who are fully vaccinated needed to wear masks indoors. And then Thursday, less than 24 hours later, you said, 'No, it changed. Now you don't need to wear masks if you're fully vaccinated either indoors or outdoors,'" Wallace pointed out during an interview with Walensky on Fox News Sunday.

"Would you agree that this abrupt shift was not handled as well as it might have been?" he asked.

Fox News Sunday
In this screenshot, Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace confronts CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky over an "abrupt shift" in federal guidance regarding the wearing of face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic on May 16. Fox News/Screenshot

Walensky responded by pivoting to outlining how much the pandemic crisis has improved in recent months. The CDC director explained that COVID-19 infections, deaths and serious illness have all declined sharply. "Things in this pandemic are starting to turn around," she said.

"What's also happening is we're getting data—evolving data on the science. Just last Thursday, there were two papers that were published in The New England Journal [of Medicine] and then just Friday, this past Friday, there was a large study that was published in the MMWR [Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report]," Walensky said. "And so taking all these data together, we've been working really actively, just this whole last week, to try to move the science, move the data to the American people and tell people—deliver the science to them."

Wallace pushed back on Walensky's response. "But the CDC, I think you'll acknowledge, was under increasing pressure this past week to relax the guidelines," the Fox News host said. "Members of Congress were growing frustrated. There was a decreasing demand for the vaccines," he said.

"Dr. Walensky, can you state flatly to the American people that that pressure had nothing to do with the abrupt shift in the CDC guidelines?" Wallace asked.

"Yes, I can," the CDC director responded quickly. "I can tell you it would have certainly been easier if the science had evolved a week earlier and I didn't have to go to Congress making those statements. But I'm delivering the science as the science is delivered to the medical journals," she asserted.

Wallace responded by saying that the guidance has "certainly created some confusion and even concern," although he said it was definitely "good news." He then pointed out that the majority of Americans are not yet fully vaccinated, questioning Walensky over whether the country could see "a spike in new cases" if unvaccinated individuals begin going around without wearing masks.

"Aren't you in a sense relying on an unrealistic honor system?" he asked.

"We are still vaccinating between 1.5 and 2 million people a day," the CDC director replied. "And so every day more and more people are getting vaccinated. The honor system is to be honest with yourself. If you are vaccinated, we are saying you are safe. You can take off your mask and you are not at risk of severe disease or hospitalization from COVID-19. If you are not vaccinated, you are not safe."

"Please go get vaccinated or continue to wear your mask," the doctor said.

While many welcomed the change in CDC guidance, the abrupt shift did draw confusion in some parts of the country. Local officials and businesses have responded in different ways, with some choosing to keep local masking requirements in place while others have lifted them. Several states had already moved to end their COVID-19 regulations and policies prior to the CDC announcement as well.

Some also strongly criticized the decision, arguing it could lead to more infections and deaths.

"This is a huge blow to our efforts at confronting this virus and the pandemic," Bonnie Castillo, a registered nurse and executive director of National Nurses United, the nation's largest nurses union, said on Saturday. "The mask is another lifesaving layer of protection for workers." Castillo argued that the decision was "not based on science."

Newsweek reached out to the CDC for comment.

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About the writer


Jason Lemon is a Weekend Editor at Newsweek based in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to taking on the editor role, Jason's reporting focused on ... Read more

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