Photo: Susan Walsh/AP/Shutterstock
The policy requiring fully vaccinated White House staff members to wear face masks ended Tuesday as fencing went up around the U.S. Capitol complex ahead of PresidentJoe Biden’s first State of the Union address, multiple news outlets report.
According toABC News, an inner-perimeter fence will surround the Capitol as Biden delivers his speech and stay in place until next Monday.
The National Guard also recently said up to 700 troops will “be available to help local law enforcement,” ABC News reported.
Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said the fencing was put in place this time in response to Biden’s upcoming address to Congress and potential protesters, according to ABC News.
Manger said in a statement Sunday that the perimeter was installed “out of an abundance of caution in light of the upcoming State of the Union Address, and the possibility of demonstrations in the next couple of weeks.”
Separately, NBC Newsobtained an internal emailsent Monday outlining new protocols for White House staff members.
Maskc
“As we have over the course of the past year, we will continue to update and adjust ourCOVID-19campus protocols in response to the public health landscape and in consultation with public health experts and medical advisors, and we will circulate updated guidance as appropriate,” the email read, per NBC News.
The email noted that some administration officials might still prefer to continue wearing masks.
Additional safety measures including vaccination requirements and regular testing put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will not be lifted, NBC News reported, adding a White House official said that 99% of employees in the Executive Office of the President were already vaccinated against the virus.
The easing of mask wearing guidelines at the White House comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention alsodropped its nationwide mask recommendationlast week. The CDC said it was now leaving the decision up to local governments, advising only those with high COVID-19 transmission levels to retain their mask mandates.
In a major change from past guidance, the CDC said that withCOVID-19 transmission levels down in most of the country,the mask mandate is no longer needed for areas with low or medium case rates, which is currently about 70% of the country.
“We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when our levels are low and then have the ability to reach for them again,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a press briefing Friday.
“Should things get worse in the future, we, as the CDC, will continue to follow the science and epidemiology to make public health recommendations and guidance,” Walensky said then.
Pete Marovich/Getty
In his State of the Union on Tuesday night, Biden is expected to focus on the economy and the ongoingRussia-Ukraine conflict, according toThe New York Times.
TheTimesreports that initially Biden’s speech was going to focus on his domestic agenda but was changed followingRussia’s invasion of Ukrainelast week.
President Biden said in a White House speech on Thursday that he was imposing even stricter economic punishments on Russia and would be deploying troops in support of NATO countries, but not in Ukraine. He said the U.S. would support Ukraine in other ways.
source: people.com
