President Joe Biden faced questions about his mask-wearing at a press conference Friday, when a reporter wondered why he insists on wearing a mask around other vaccinated people.
“You walked out to the podium with your mask on,” the reporter pointed out. “Why do you choose to wear a mask so often when you’re vaccinated and you’re around other people who are vaccinated?” a reporter asked.
“Because I’m worried about you. No, that’s a joke. It’s a joke,” Biden replied.
“Why am I wearing the mask? Because, when we’re inside, it’s still good policy to wear the mask. That’s why. When I’m outside — and the problem is: Lots of times, I walk away from this podium, you notice, I forget to put my mask back on because I’m used to not wearing it outside,” he explained.
REPORTER: You walked out to the podium with your mask on. Why do you choose to wear a mask so often when you’re vaccinated & you’re around others who are vaccinated?
BIDEN: Because I’m worried about you. No, it’s a joke… when we’re inside, it’s still good policy to wear a mask pic.twitter.com/8hPEeTQw0l
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 7, 2021
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its mask guidelines in April, saying that fully vaccinated Americans do not need to wear a face covering outside, except when in crowded settings.
Days after the CDC updated its guidelines, CNN anchor Jake Tapper questioned why Biden was still wearing a mask outdoors, according to Business Insider.
Biden’s senior advisor Anita Dunn told Tapper that the president “takes the CDC guidelines very seriously,” but also takes “some extra precautions.”
