President Biden in an interview that aired Friday said that schools should all be open for five days a week in-person learning in the fall despite the fact that children likely will not be vaccinated by then.
“Based on the science and the CDC, they should probably all be open,” Biden said in an interview that aired on NBC’s “Today.”
“There’s not overwhelming evidence there’s much of a transmission among these people, young people,” Biden added.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced this week that fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks outdoors in small groups. NBC’s Craig Melvin asked Biden if he will no longer wear a mask outdoors.
“Sure, sure. But what I’m going to do though, because the likelihood of my being able to be outside and people not come up to me is not very high,” Biden responded. “So, it’s like, look you and I took our masks off when I came in because look at the distance we are. But if we were in fact sitting there talking to one another close, I’d have my mask on and I’d want you to have a mask on even though we’ve both been vaccinated.”
He added that wearing a mask in crowded spaces is still a “patriotic responsibility,” a line the president has reiterated throughout his time in office.
“So, it’s a small precaution to take that has a profound impact. It’s a patriotic responsibility for God’s sake. It’s making sure that your wife and children, in fact, they haven’t been vaccinated, making sure they’re not going to get sick,” he said.