President Biden will begin wearing masks again and socially distance himself after First Lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19, the White House announced Tuesday.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made the announcement during Tuesday’s press briefing.
“An update on the President and the First Lady since she tested positive for COVID-19 last night. I can tell you that the First Lady is experiencing mild symptoms and will remain in Delaware for the week.” Jean-Pierre said. “President Biden tested negative last night for COVID-19 and tested negative again today. He’s not experiencing any symptoms.”
“As far as the steps that he is taking: Since the President was with the First Lady yesterday, he will be masking while indoors and around people in alignment with CDC guidance,” she added. “And as — as has been the practice in the past, the President will remove his mask when sufficiently distanced from others indoors and while outside as well.”
The decision to wear a mask comes despite numerous studies showing that masks are ineffective at reducing the spread of COVID-19.
According to Tom Jefferson, the Oxford epidemiologist and lead author of the most comprehensive analysis of scientific studies on the efficacy of masks in reducing the transmission of respiratory illnesses, “There is just no evidence that [masks] make any difference. Full stop,” he told the journalist Maryanne Demasi.
Even N-95 masks make “no difference — none of it,” said Jefferson.
It should also be noted that the recent COVID-19 outbreak in the Biden family comes after President Biden repeatedly said during his 2020 presidential campaign that he would “shut down” COVID-19.
REMINDER: In 2020, Biden repeatedly promised he'd "shut down the virus."
Of course, he was lying. He had no plan. pic.twitter.com/KQZSnAmOo5
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 5, 2023