Fauci Admits 6-Foot Social Distancing Standard ‘Sort Of Just Appeared’

The 6-foot social distancing guideline pushed by public health officials during the COVID-19 pandemic apparently lacked any sound basis in science, according to the testimony of former chief medical advisor to the president Anthony Fauci.

Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), advised former president Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden on the U.S. response to COVID-19, carrying significant influence over infectious disease policy. Republicans have grown increasingly critical of Fauci for his handling of the pandemic, accusing him of misleading the American people over the risks of COVID-19 and other issues.

Fauci appeared on Capitol Hill in January to testify behind closed doors to members of the select subcommittee on the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability, which oversees the subcommittee’s work, released transcripts of Fauci’s testimony on Friday. Fauci is expected to return to Capitol Hill on Monday to testify publicly in front of Congress.

One line of questioning from the Republican counsel focused on the six-foot social distancing standard. Fauci was asked where the standard – which was pushed by federal, state, and local officials to slow the spread of COVID-19 – originated. The former federal health official suggested that the standard was arbitrary without a hard basis in data.

“You know, I don’t recall. It sort of just appeared,” Fauci said in response to the guideline’s origins. “I don’t recall, like, a discussion of whether it should be 5 or 6 or whatever.”

In response to a question if Fauci had seen any studies supporting the six-foot standard, Fauci responded in the negative.

“I was not aware of studies that in fact, that would be a very difficult study to do,” Fauci said.

Also in his testimony, the GOP counsel asked Fauci if he had seen evidence to support the masking of children while such policies were being implemented across the U.S. and encouraged by health officials.

“You know, I might have, Mitch, but I don’t recall specifically that I did. I might have,” Fauci responded.

The U.S. response to COVID-19 has grown increasingly controversial, especially as it related to children and education. The length of school closures seemed to correlate with subsequent drops in test scores, according to data analyzed by The New York Times earlier this year.

“There’s fairly good consensus that, in general, as a society, we probably kept kids out of school longer than we should have,” pediatric disease specialist Sean O’Leary told the Times