Let parents make the decision on masks for kids! Obama-era medical expert says 'science doesn't support' schoolchildren wearing face coverings in 'perpetuity' as COVID cases plummet 47% in a week and eight states drop mask mandates
Even as federal health officials cling to masks, many health officials and experts - including many Democrats - are voicing that it is time to drop face-coverings as the Omicron variant-fueled Covid surge continues to falter, with cases down 47 percent over the past week.
Dr Kavita Patel, an MSNBC contributor who works as a primary care physician and director of policy for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement in the Obama administration, told CNBC's Squawk Box that mask mandates in schools should not be around forever, and instead parents should choose whether their child needs to wear one based on a variety of factors.
'If you told me there's a future where we're wearing masks in perpetuity I'd say that's ridiculous, the science doesn't support that if we see that cases are coming down,' Patel said.
Patel joins an ever-growing group of health officials and experts calling for mask and other mandates to be phased out as cases continue to drop. Eight states, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Oregon are setting plans to drop or adjust mask mandates in the near-future.
Cases are coming down virtually everywhere in America. Daily cases have dropped 47 percent nationwide over the past week, from 453,141 cases per day last week to 239,757 now. Deaths caused by the virus, a lagging indicator that trends a few weeks behind cases, have flattened as well with 2,480 being recorded daily.
Only one state, Maine, is recording an increase in cases over the past two weeks, and more than 30 states have seen cases slash in half during that period.
Patel says that, looking at these downwards trends, it might be time to drop masks in schools soon. When parents are making decisions for their children, they should consider multiple factors before send their child to school masked.
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