No One ‘Would Want to’ Tell People to Wear Masks in Early 2020, We Had Few Infections in Society That Didn’t Like Masks

During a portion of an interview aired on Tuesday’s edition of PBS’ “American Masters,” former NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci defended his changing recommendations on mask-wearing in 2020 by stating that no one would want to tell people that “we have two cases now, everybody wear a mask and guess what, we have a shortage of masks and we didn’t even know masks work” And “We didn’t know what it meant to have one or two people infected in a society that already doesn’t like to wear masks.”

Fauci said, [relevant remarks begin around 20:15] “So, this idea about going back and saying, well, you said you shouldn’t wear masks. What we did, is that, at the moment you ask a question, you’ve got to look at what scientific data were available at that time. And there were things that we knew, which weren’t a lot, and things that we didn’t know. We didn’t know what it meant to have one or two people infected in a society that already doesn’t like to wear masks. How would you like to say, we have two cases now, everybody wear a mask and guess what, we have a shortage of masks and we didn’t even know masks work? No chance in the world that anyone would want to do that. Did you flip-flop? No, you got additional information that made you change what you’re saying. And I’d be happy to debate that anywhere, any place, with anybody.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett