Fauci Didn't Say He Wants a Permanent Mask Mandate
The Claim
Doctor Anthony Fauci wants a never-ending federally enforced mask mandate.
News posted on
Emerging story
Doctor Fauci was interviewed by NBC on May 9, 2021. During said interview, he said that it’s possible for mask wearing to become seasonal. Some people took to the internet, writing articles “FAUCI: ‘It Is Conceivable’ That Mask Wearing Could Become Permanent.” Some of these articles quoted Fauci as saying that we will never stop wearing masks.
People responded accordingly, voicing their concerns on social media.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that Dr. Fauci was not referring to mandates at all. He was simply saying that, since people are used to wearing masks, they may be more likely to voluntarily wear them in the future doing flu seasons. This is a case of taking a statement, taking it out of context, and making extreme extrapolations based on these out-of-context statements. Fauci's full comments are below.
Many people voluntarily chose to wear masks before the pandemic. Japan, for example, has had a mask-wearing social norm for some time – some assert that Japan’s infection rate was reduced by their longstanding tradition of mask-wearing.
