Walensky says unvaccinated children should continue wearing masks

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday said unvaccinated children should continue to wear masks and social distance, despite new guidelines from the agency that lifts restrictions for vaccinated adults and adolescents.

In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” host Dana Bash asked Rochelle Walensky if it is safe for unvaccinated children to be in grocery stores, even in a mask, when it is possible that unvaccinated patrons may be taking advantage of the CDC’s new guidance and shopping while maskless.

Walensky did not directly answer, instead urging children to “continue to wear masks in those settings.”

“We recognize the challenge of parents who can’t leave their kids at home,” Walensky said, adding that children “should be masked in those settings and to the best of their ability to keep a distance.”

“The recommendations for those settings have not changed,” she continued.

Walensky also said the CDC hopes that children under the age of 12 will be eligible to receive a vaccine by the end of this year.

Walensky’s remarks come after the CDC released new guidance last Thursday, allowing people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to safely resume life without any restrictions.

The agency said that individuals who are fully vaccinated, meaning two weeks past the last required COVID-19 vaccine dose, no longer need to wear masks indoors or outdoors or maintain physical distance.