It's been a few days full of ire and confusion when it comes to guidelines and mandates over masks and vaccines. The confusion ramped up significantly, though, thanks to an interview Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the Centers for Disease Control director, gave earlier on Friday with Fox News' Bret Baier during "Special Report."
CDC director Rachel Walensky: Biden administration 'looking into' nationwide vaccine mandate pic.twitter.com/EAf8SiAZMB
— Jewish Deplorable (@TrumpJew2) July 30, 2021
"Are you for mandating a vaccine on a federal level?" Baier asked had asked Dr. Walensky.
"That's something that I think the administration is looking into, "she said. "It's something that I think we are looking to see approval of from the vaccine."
"Overall, I think in general, I am all for more vaccination. But, I have nothing further to say on that except that we are looking into those policies."
Reporting understandably honed in on the part of how "it's something I think we are looking to see approval of..."
U.S. CDC DIRECTOR SAYS FEDERALLY MANDATING COVID-19 VACCINATION IS SOMETHING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS LOOKING AT -FOX NEWS INTERVIEW
— Berkeley Lovelace (@BerkeleyJr) July 30, 2021
BREAKING: CDC director tells Fox News federal government 'looking into' potential COVID vaccine mandate https://t.co/SIgQTwGnQr
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 30, 2021
JUST IN: CDC Director Rochelle Walensky suggests administration looking into vaccine mandate https://t.co/7NbUBPH5LD pic.twitter.com/0bVmQdWhSP
— The Hill (@thehill) July 30, 2021
CDC Director Walensky declines to say if she favors vaccine mandates. “That's something I think the admin is looking into...Overall, in general I am all for more vaccination," she tells Fox. "But I have nothing further to say on except that we're looking into those policies."
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) July 31, 2021
The CDC was left scrambling as Dr. Walensky had to chime in over Twitter with a clarification that "There will be no nationwide mandate."
.@BerkeleyJr To clarify: There will be no nationwide mandate. I was referring to mandates by private institutions and portions of the federal government. There will be no federal mandate.
— Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH (@CDCDirector) July 30, 2021
well that was a quick clarification from the CDC director after this FOX News interview.
— Christal Hayes (@Journo_Christal) July 31, 2021
She's asked about whether the administration is seeking to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations federally around the 9:15 mark >> https://t.co/fBW6IWUpAM https://t.co/DcFBzIOPQ3
.@CDCDirector clarifies comments made to Fox News earlier. Asked by @BretBaier "Are you for mandating the vaccine on a federal level?" Dr Walensky said: "That's something that I think the administration is looking into." She says she meant portions of federal govt: https://t.co/a1lXBV8Rqo
— Meg Tirrell (@megtirrell) July 30, 2021
Also on Friday, President Joe Biden told reporters we get to "in all probability" look forward to more restrictions:
Q Should Americans expect more — should Americans expect more guidelines coming up, more restrictions because of COVID?
THE PRESIDENT: In all probability. And, by the way, we had a good day yesterday, almost a million people got vaccinated. About half a million of those people for the first time — for the second shot. And so, I’m hopeful that people are beginning to realize how essential it is to do.
Joe Biden on more COVID restrictions: "In all probability" pic.twitter.com/L6oL4imU8N
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 30, 2021
As Landon also reported on Friday, Brett Giroir, the COVID-19 testing czar during the Trump administration, warned during a Fox News interview that we may be headed back for lockdowns, though he called them "a disaster," "counter-productive" and said "I don't think they work."
Last year, then candidate Biden told voters he wouldn't shut down the country or the economy, but clearly his administration is singing a different tune now, which is, at best, confusing.