Washington: The White House says there’s been no decision to change the Covid-19 guidance on wearing face masks. Press secretary Jen Psaki insisted Thursday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and not the White House, makes the decisions about public health.
Psaki says any change in the guidance would come from CDC. The current guidance is that fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear face masks while those who are unvaccinated should continue to wear them.
White House and public health officials have been discussing whether to update the mask guidance because of the surge in Covid-19 infections blamed on the highly contagious Delta variant.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at a briefing Thursday that while her agency is always reviewing the data, the recommendations haven’t changed.
Meanwhile, Singapore, which is on heightened alert to check the spread of Covid-19, has postponed its National Day Parade from August 9 to August 21 and will only hold a ceremonial one to mark 56 years of independence, the Ministry of Defence said.
It also pushed back the National Day Rally, another major event at which the prime minister addresses the nation, by a week to August 29.
Singapore reverted to Phase 2 (heightened alert) on Thursday amid a spike in Covid-19 cases. Group sizes for social gatherings have been reduced from five to two and dining-in has been suspended.
The restrictions will be in effect until August 18. The Ministry of Health (MOH) said earlier this week that the government will review the measures in two weeks.
Singapore reported 170 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday.In a press release, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said the National Day Parade (NDP) will be similar to the one held last year at the Padang, but will take place at the Float@Marina Bay.
Padang has been the most popular open field for holding national events in the city centre of Singapore while Float@Marina Bay is a floating platform venue in waters off Padang for major events.