Anthony Fauci advises CNN town hall to wear a mask indoors even if fully vaccinated and boosted

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Anthony Fauci advises CNN town hall goers to wear a mask indoors even if fully vaccinated and boosted

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday advised viewers of a CNN town hall to wear a mask indoors even if they've been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and received the vaccine booster.

Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday advised viewers of a CNN town hall to wear a mask indoors even if they've been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and received the vaccine booster. 

While virtually participating in the town hall focused on the pandemic, Fauci told the audience, in contrast to CDC mask guidance, to wear a mask while congregating with people indoors if they are unsure of everyone else's vaccination status. 

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Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks during a virtual CNN town hall on Dec. 2, 2021. (Screenshot/CNN)

"Everyone’s been talking about what to do if you’re unvaccinated or without a booster, but what should someone who has all three shots do to protect themselves against the omicron variant?" a member of the virtual audience asked Fauci.

"Yeah, good question. We’re asking people to go get booster shots and the question that was just asked is very relevant. What you do is exactly what we were saying, and that is to be prudent and careful," Fauci said. 

"And one of the things that’s very clear is that if you have to be in an indoor congregate setting in which you’re unsure of what the vaccination status is of the people around you, wear a mask," he said. 

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A child wears a face mask on the first day school amid the coronavirus pandemic in Brooklyn, New York, on Sept. 13, 2021. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo)

Fauci added that it was important to have good ventilation while indoors and that, even though the country was heading into colder months, to try and hold gatherings with large groups of people outdoors.

"It’s just the common sense, prudent, trying to avoid a risky situation. But you’ve already taken a major step in protecting yourself by the fact that you have gotten vaccinated and you have gotten boosted. That’s a real big step towards protecting yourself," Fauci said. 

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The entrance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. (iStock)

The most recent CDC mask guidance states that "everyone 2 years or older who is not fully vaccinated should wear a mask in indoor public places," but that those who are fully vaccinated only need to wear a mask indoors if they are in an area of "substantial or high transmission" of the virus.