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CNN Medical Analyst Says Mask Mandates Should Go: ‘The Science Has Changed’

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CNN medical analyst Leana Wen said in an interview with Anderson Cooper that the decision to mask should shift from a government mandate to an individual choice, adding “the science has changed.”

Wen once described unvaccinated Americans as drunk drivers. Now, there is an abrupt shift in narrative in both the media and the political arena.

As The Hill noted yesterday, “Experts open the door to lifting last mask mandates”.

Cooper was initially informed by her that she believed people worried about infections should use the one-way masking concept, especially when dealing with children.

“I am not saying … no one should ever wear masks, but rather that the responsibility should shift from a government mandate imposed from the state or local district of the school, rather it should shift to an individual responsibility by the family,” Wen said.

She added families are still welcome to “decide that their child can wear a mask if needed.”

Wen, a CNN contributor from mid-December, argued that COVID is high in states where it has been low. should have mask mandates.

Bruce Willis, in Die Hard, says: “Welcome to the party pal.”

RELATED: Rand Paul Hammers Fauci Over ‘Hysteria’ Leading To More School Closures

CNN Medical Analyst: Science has Changed

CNN medical analyst Leana Wen didn’t have some moment of clarity involving individual rights and the freedom to choose what’s best on a case-by-case basis.

Rather, she explains, the “science has changed.”

Wen was asked to confirm that she supports lifting restrictions.

“I do. There was and is a time and place for pandemic restrictions,” she replied. “But when they were put in, it was always with the understanding that they would be removed as soon as we can.”

“The science has changed,” continued Wen. “We know that vaccines protect very well against omicron, which is the dominant variant.”

RELATED: CNN’s Dr. Wen Claims Being Unvaccinated Is The Same As Drunk Driving

Wants to Preserve Public Health ‘Authority’

Wen made another important pivot in messaging by mentioning natural immunity when discussing levels of protection.

“So many people were exposed to omicron and therefore, have at least some level of protection,” she said, “either through vaccination or immunity.”

Wen appears to be using Twitter to make a second calculation in order to remove mask mandates, especially when the public mood is turning and COVID fatigue is setting-in.

To preserve the “public health authority” she believes she and her colleagues currently enjoys.

Wen is concerned that officials could lose control of their authority if they are too distracted by restrictions.

“In the coming days, we will see many Governors and local leaders lift mask mandates,” she tweeted.

“This is the right step, and marks a needed shift from government-imposed requirement to individual decision,” Wen added. “It helps to preserve public health authority for when it’s needed again.”

While the White House disagrees,

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki relays that it is the administration’s stance that mask mandates should remain in place for schools, despite the “science having changed.”

“We recommend masking in schools. That is the recommendation from the CDC,” Psaki said in her daily briefing Monday.

Liberal governors from New Jersey, Delaware and Connecticut all decided to eliminate mask mandates that schoolchildren in their states were subject to in order for them not be considered as conservatives.