FILE – In this Jan. 27, 2021, file image from video, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, speaks during a White House briefing on the Biden administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington. (White House via AP, File)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 6:47 AM PT – Thursday, April,1 2021
The director of the CDC is scolding Americans for failing to abide by social distancing guidelines as a new strain of coronavirus sweeps across the nation.
In a briefing Wednesday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky warned that the U.K. B.1.1.7 variant was starting to “creep up” and that it posed a bigger threat than what she called the “wild type strain.”
“So to the extent that people are not practicing the standard mitigation strategies, we do think that more infections will result because of B.1.1.7,” she stated.
Dr. Walensky went on to express her disappointment with Americans and insisted that people were not understanding the importance of “masking, distancing, limiting travel and decreasing crowd size.” She made those remarks just three weeks after she unveiled the CDC’s new reduced guidance measures.
“Like you, I want to be able to return to everyday activities and engage with our friends, families and communities,” said the CDC director. “Science and the protection of public health must guide us as we begin to resume these activities.”
As a wife, mother, daughter, physician & CDC Director, I ask you to hold on a little while longer. We are almost there, but not quite yet. Continue using #COVID19 prevention methods & get vaccinated when you can so that you and others will still be here once this pandemic ends.
— Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH (@CDCDirector) March 29, 2021
Earlier this month, the CDC cited vaccination rates as the reason behind the new, easier guidelines. Since then, however, the number of people who have received full doses has only gone up. This has led critics to point out the administration is contradicting itself.
