Zients skirts question about whether low-vaccinated areas should reimpose mask mandates

White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients skirted a question about whether local governments in high-spread, low-vaccinated areas should reimpose mask mandates amid the spread of new, highly contagious coronavirus variants. 

During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” anchor Dana Bash asked the administration official what his personal recommendation would be to local governments in areas that meet these criteria. 

“Well, as we have [said] in the beginning, local governments will make their own local decisions based on their vaccination rates and levels,” Zients said. 

“They make their own decisions, but what your recommendation?” Bash pressed. 

Zients once again demurred, stating that to be protected from the virus Americans should get vaccinated. 

“The CDC has been very clear that if you are vaccinated, you have a very high degree of protection, and if you’re not vaccinated, then you need to get vaccinated — and in the meantime, wear a mask,” he continued.

Bash once again said that she understood the administration was leaving mask mandates to local governments.

“I know you’re letting local governments do their own thing, but would it be the preference of the Biden administration that they change the mask mandates back?” she asked. 

“The preference is that people get vaccinated so they’re protected, and if you’re not vaccinated, you do have to mask up to protect yourself and to protect others,” Zients responded.

Zients’s comments come as the delta variant continues to spread throughout the U.S.

The variant has been confirmed in the U.S. and 85 other countries, and accounts for 25 percent of all new cases in America. 

The White House official told Bash that the administration is concerned that unvaccinated pockets of the United States have seen a recent increase in cases due to the delta variant. 

“We are concerned – is where we’re seeing increases in cases is in those areas generally that have lower vaccination rates. So we need to make sure that we’re doing all we can to vaccinate all Americans and particularly focused on areas that have lower vaccination rates,” Zients said.

On Thursday, White House officials had announced that the administration was implementing COVID-19 “surge teams” ready to travel to communities with lower vaccination rates in an effort to mitigate the delta variant.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 67 percent of Americans aged 18 and older have at least one dose of the vaccine and about 58 percent have received both doses.

The data trails Biden’s goal to have 70 percent of American adults with at least one dose of the vaccine by July 4, though White House officials acknowledged recently that this goal would not be met in time.

Still, Zients said he did not believe that the U.S. was hitting a plateau on Americans getting vaccinated in the U.S.

“I do not believe that. As I said earlier, confidence in the vaccine – those who want to get the vaccine – that has grown steadily across time as people have had friends, family and neighbors get vaccinated and they see the safety and effectiveness in their loved ones and in their friends and family,” Zients said.