Whether or not the CDC and the Biden administration intend this new guidance to be perceived as declaring “vaccinations don’t do any good,” telling vaccinated people they have to wear masks again will be perceived as declaring “vaccinations don’t do any good.”
And then there’s the curious aspect to how this dramatic development leaked out:
A WH source confirms:
CDC is expected to recommend today that ppl vaccinated for COVID *resume wearing masks* indoors under certain circumstances. Those circumstances include: If living with/in close contact w/ immunocompromised ppl or unvaccinated ppl such as kids under 12.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) July 27, 2021
If you’re a White House official, and you’re hoping the American people will warmly receive this unpopular recommendation, particularly those who weren’t fans of masking the first time around… does it make a lot of sense to leak this to Yamiche Alcindor? The same PBS, NBC News and MSNBC contributor who probably ranks among the White House reporters least trusted by the right side of the political divide? What, was Brian Stelter busy?