Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief adviser on the Chinese coronavirus, is set to appear in four episodes of Nickelodeon’s Nick News Breaks to answer children’s questions on the Chinese coronavirus.
The children’s network made the announcement this week, teasing it as a mini-series featuring the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director “taking real questions from real kids,” listing several questions which Fauci will address.
Those include:
- I already wear one mask and now I hear we need to wear two masks. Do I really need to wear two masks? – Kaleb, age 12
- I stay with my grandma part time. Does that mean I need to get the vaccine? She gives the best hugs – does that mean I can’t hug her? – Jade, age 10
- My parents told me that kids my age are now being tested for the vaccination. Is that true? – Joey, age 9
- When will I be allowed to have playdates again? – Ella, age 6
- Why does the information about COVID-19 keep changing on the news? – Jesai, age 13
- I didn’t have a birthday party last year. Will I miss it again this year? – Natalie, age 11
The series began April 3 and will air through the weekend on Nick, TeenNick, Nicktoons, and on Nickelodeon social media platforms, per the press release.
Fauci, who served on the Coronavirus Task Force under former President Trump’s administration, has come under criticism over the past year for contradicting himself in regards to basic coronavirus health protocols and his positions on when life can return to pre-pandemic normalcy.
During a 60 Minutes appearance in March 2020, for example, Fauci dismissed the need for widespread masking. “Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks,” Fauci said at the time, repeating, “There’s no reason to be walking around with a mask.”
Fauci explained at the time that masks may make people feel safer psychologically but appeared to doubt their efficacy.
“When you’re in the middle of an outbreak, wearing a mask might make people feel a little bit better and it might even block a droplet, but it’s not providing the perfect protection that people think that it is,” he said. “And, often, there are unintended consequences — people keep fiddling with the mask and they keep touching their face.”
Happy anniversary to one of the worst takes ever.
One year ago today, Dr. Fauci went on 60 Minutes and said you didn't need to wear a mask.
"Right now in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks. … There’s no reason to be walking around with a mask." pic.twitter.com/dTfjoxWFjf
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 8, 2021
Since then, Fauci has changed his tone, promoting universal masking — even double masking, despite once stating, “there’s no data that indicates that that [double masking] is going to make a difference.” He later admitted he “often” wears two masks, adding that there is “nothing wrong” with it.
The news follows Nickelodeon pulling an episode of the long-running children’s show SpongeBob SquarePants due to “sensitivities” involving its “virus storyline.”
“The ‘Kwarantined Crab’ centers on a virus storyline, so we have decided to not air it due to sensitivities surrounding the global, real-world pandemic,” a Nickelodeon spokesperson said in a statement.
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