Dr. Leana Wen, former head of Planned Parenthood turned CNN medical analyst, told anchor John Berman on Monday the reason why now is a good time for COVID-19 restrictions to be rolled back is because "the science has changed."
Governors in multiple states, including Democratic ones, recently announced they are rolling back COVID restrictions, such as mask mandates, at the state level.
On Twitter before her CNN appearance, Wen said she supports the rollback because "when circumstances change, policies should change too."
Joining @JohnBerman @AC360 shortly: I fully support Governors of Delaware, Connecticut, New Jersey etc who have outlined off-ramps to end school mask mandates.
— Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) February 8, 2022
When circumstances change, policies should change too. Pandemic restrictions need to be removed as quickly as possible.
"There was and is a time and place for pandemic restrictions. But when they were put in, it was always with the understanding that they would be removed as soon as we can. And in this case, circumstances have changed. Case counts are declining. Also, the science has changed," Wen said.
"We know that vaccines protect very well against Omicron, which is the dominant variant. Everyone 5 and older have widespread access to vaccines and we also know about one-way masking. The idea that even if other people around you are not wearing masks, if you wear a high-quality mask, that also protects you, the wearer, too," she continued. "And so, in this case, I am not saying, I don’t think anyone really is saying, no one should ever wear masks, but rather that the responsibility should shift from a government mandate imposed from the state or local district of the school, rather it should shift to an individual responsibility by the family who can still decide that their child can wear a mask if needed."
"The science has changed." @DrLeanaWen explains why she supports lifting some pandemic restrictions and thinks the decision to wear a mask should shift from a government mandate to an individual choice. pic.twitter.com/vaiybBBF2b
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) February 8, 2022
Keep in mind the science behind cloth and paper masks not being effective in preventing COVID-19 infections have been settled for some time, as only N95 or something similar has any kind of effect. The science hasn't changed, rather the acceptance of the science from some of those who love restrictions is changing as more and more people are able to go on with their lives. Oh yeah, and the midterms are coming up.
Tucker: "When does the coronavirus lockdown culture end? When are we past Corona?"
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) February 8, 2022
Vince: "A couple months before the 2022 midterms...they have nothing else to run on, so they need to run on a message of, your freedom is a result of our good decision making." https://t.co/bpOVh1oxPx