US CDC Director: "No Nationwide Federal Mandate for Vaccination"

Rochelle Walensky, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
[Photo by AP]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Rochelle Walensky, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stated that the federal government will not mandate COVID-19 vaccinations nationwide.

According to foreign media on the 31st (local time), Walensky made this statement in a tweet following her remarks about vaccination during an interview with Fox News the previous night.

In the Fox News interview, when asked by the host whether vaccinations would be mandated at the federal level, Walensky said, "I think that is something the administration is considering."

However, as this comment was perceived as suggesting that the U.S. administration was considering ordering all citizens to get vaccinated, she appeared to backtrack.

In her tweet, she clarified, "To be clear: there will be no nationwide mandate," explaining that she was referring to mandates by private organizations and some federal agencies, and emphasized, "There will be no federal mandate."

Regarding the reinstatement of mask-wearing guidelines in the Fox News interview, Walensky said it is a necessary measure to prevent the spread of the virus.

She stressed that the best way to prevent the spread of variants is to reduce contact with the virus, adding, "The best way to do that is to get vaccinated and wear a mask."

As the highly contagious Delta variant spreads and COVID-19 resurges in the U.S., the CDC issued strengthened mask-wearing guidelines on the 27th.

The CDC recommended that even vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors in public places in areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates.

Previously, on May 13, the CDC had announced guidelines allowing vaccinated individuals to forgo masks in most indoor and outdoor settings, but after two months, it added caveats and reinstated mask-wearing guidelines.