The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
Bloomberg
For a nation mired in a pandemic for more than a year, the biggest step towards a return to normal came suddenly, even to President Joe Biden.
After warning the country to stay vigilant amid the threat of coronavirus variants, the president found himself three days later striking a different tone, celebrating that the US had already reached a sort of finish line. Biden’s White House learned from Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that vaccinated Americans could safely shed the face masks that have become a staple of their wardrobes in almost all occasions.
That decision — the most momentous yet in the nation’s battle against Covid-19 — was kept under wraps among a small circle of top White House aides that night as they began making arrangements for the president to address the
watershed moment the following day. The announcement not only turned the page on painful social restrictions brought on by the pandemic, but also eased tensions around public health directives that have sowed acrimony and division over the past year, largely because of resistance among Republicans.
“Free at last,†Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said after the CDC lifted its masking guidance.
But the decision also sparked confusion, as businesses weighed whether to immediately scrap mask requirements even though they have no way of knowing whether their staff and customers are vaccinated.
While it appeared abrupt, the decision was the result of weeks of mounting evidence on the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines collected by the CDC. The agency has erred on the side of caution throughout the pandemic, drawing criticism for doing so even as the number of vaccinated Americans soared.
Just six weeks ago, Walensky warned of “impending doom†amid a rise in infections, hospitalizations and deaths. But then a string of research began streaming in, showing that public health experts’ worst fears weren’t materializing.
After making her decision on Wednesday, Walensky briefed Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra that afternoon before telling the White House around 9 p.m. She and other health officials held television appearances that night and gave no hint of the coming change.
The White House has said it was Walensky’s decision, made “not by us, not by the White House, not by the president, to be very clear,†Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday. “Even here, only a small number of people knew†ahead of the announcement, she said.