Biden skips mask despite COVID-19 diagnosis, sparks debate

NBC News reports that Joe Biden is not wearing a mask despite being infected with COVID-19. The current president did not have it on in several situations, even after announcing his illness. Attention was also drawn to the official recommendations in case of infection.

Joe Biden tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Wednesday while he was in Las Vegas, which forced him to interrupt his election campaign. He went into isolation at his holiday home in Delaware.

This is not the first coronavirus infection for the current president of the USA. The previous occurrence was in July 2022. Biden is vaccinated against the coronavirus.

On Thursday evening, the White House website updated Biden's health status. Biden's physician, Kevin O'Connor, stated that the president is "still experiencing mild upper respiratory symptoms associated with his recent Covid-19 infection," but has no fever and his vital signs are normal. The head of state is taking the drug Paxlovid and "will continue to conduct the business of the American people," he added.

Meanwhile, NBC News notes that Biden is not wearing a mask. The portal points out that he was seen without it several times after the White House announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. Although it was conveyed that the incumbent president is experiencing "mild" symptoms, his doctor previously announced that he "will be self-isolating in accordance with CDC guidance for symptomatic individuals."

NBC News reports that after the announcement of the illness on Wednesday, Biden was seen without a mask upon arriving at the airport in Las Vegas. He also did not have it on when he disembarked from the plane a few hours later at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. In both cases, Biden was surrounded by Secret Service agents and assistants.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention encourage individuals recovering from COVID-19 or any other respiratory illness to wear masks, but they are not mandatory. According to the recommendations, these individuals should "stay home and away from others" if they feel unwell.

CDC describes masks as an "additional prevention strategy" to prevent the spread of the disease but overall leaves the decision to wear them to each individual. It calls masks "especially useful" during illness and suggests their use as a precaution during recovery.