Vaccinated members of the House of Representatives will no longer be required to wear a face covering when on the House floor after the Capitol Attending Physician lifted the chamber's mask mandate Friday afternoon.
"The guideline document reflects that fully vaccinated individuals may discontinue mask wear and 6-foot social distance separations in most situations consistent with the CDC revision regarding fully vaccinated individuals of May 13, 2021," explained the new guidance that came almost a month after the federal government decreed masks and social distancing precautions were no longer necessary for vaccinated Americans.
Fox News's Chad Pergram reported that the decision was made based on low community spread of the Wuhan coronavirus and a high rate of vaccination among those in the Capitol complex.
The Capitol Attending Physician, Dr. Brian Monahan, has now updated the pandemic rules for the House. Masks will no longer be required on the floor of the House. Decrease in community transmission/high rate of vaccination (85% in Capitol complex) triggered this decision
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) June 11, 2021
The decision to lift the mandate on the House floor comes after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) forced representatives to continue wearing masks even after guidance from the CDC led to a change in policy for the rest of the Capitol complex.
In an interview with CNN after new federal guidance on masking was issued, Pelosi was asked if the rules for the House chamber would change. "No," she said. "Are they all vaccinated?"
Now as the mandate is lifted, they still are not all vaccinated. Apparently, Pelosi's white-knuckled grip on control over her chamber has slipped on the matter.
Several Republican members staged a mask rebellion in protest of Pelosi's strict rules that were at adds with CDC guidance in mid-May, for which they faced $500 fines for refusing to comply. At the time, Speaker Pelosi was spotted maskless at a White House reception, suggesting her extension of measures to supposedly slow the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus was more about political pain than medical science.
When it comes to identifying which members are vaccinated and therefore no longer need to wear masks on the House floor, Pelosi should remember her words from May 20th on knowledge of representatives' vaccination status: "I shouldn't know. It's their personal business."