Dr. Anthony Fauci: I Wear Two Masks — ‘Nothing Wrong’ with It

Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony FauciÂ
Kevin Dietsch/Pool via AP

Dr. Anthony Fauci further clarified his position on wearing two masks Wednesday, noting there was “nothing wrong” with people doing it to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“There’s nothing wrong with people wearing two masks. I often myself wear two masks,” Fauci said in a White House virtual coronavirus briefing with reporters Wednesday morning.

Fauci said that his advice about double masking was his “opinion.”

“I say there’s no recommendation. However, there are many people who take the common-sense approach,” he said.

Fauci added the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not officially recommend double masking based on scientific data.

“Can we make a general recommendation that doesn’t have a scientific basis yet? No,” he said.

Fauci warned that the mutants and variants of the coronavirus still threatened to spread across the country and that mask-wearing and social distancing were critical to slow the spread.

He expressed his disappointment that mask-wearing was not universally practiced around the country.

“Right now we don’t have complete full compliance throughout the country of the fundamental public health measures that are necessary to prevent the spread,” he said.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the agency was evaluating the data surrounding the benefits of wearing double masks.

“The CDC is actively looking at this question,” she said.

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