Largest Nurses Union in U.S. Condemns CDC Flip on Masking

Largest Nurses Union in U.S. Condemns CDC Flip on Masking

Many of America’s public health experts have been left stunned by the CDC’s decision to change the masking policy.

Now, the nation’s largest nurses union has condemned the new guidance that stipulates fully vaccinated people do not have to wear masks in most settings. 

The National Nurses United (NNU) in a statement on Saturday said it was concerned that it would put patients, front-line workers and nurses at risk amid a pandemic that is still present in the U.S.

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Nurses on Record

“This newest CDC guidance is not based on science, does not protect public health, and threatens the lives of patients, nurses, and other frontline workers across the country,” said NNU Executive Director Bonnie Castillo. “Now is not the time to relax protective measures, and we are outraged that the CDC has done just that while we are still in the midst of the deadliest pandemic in a century.”

“CDC issued this new guidance even though the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) emergency temporary standard mandated by President Biden’s Jan. 21 executive order has been delayed for two months. This lack of protection compounds the dangers that nurses and other essential workers continue to face on the job,” Castillo added.

On Sunday, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky faced tough criticism on the national political shows.

The union noted that more than 35,000 new cases are tallied daily in the U.S. and that fears linger over the spread of highly contagious variants.

Rhode Island now ranks second in the country for cases per capita — only behind North Dakota. And, RI ranks fourth in deaths behind only New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts per capita.

"Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing," Walensky said during a White House briefing. "If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all longed for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy."