Fauci Says U.S. Can Relax Mask Mandates, Be ‘More Liberal’ As Vaccination Rates Increase

"Yes, we do need to start being more liberal as we get more people vaccinated," the nation's top infectious disease expert said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Sunday the country could “start being more liberal” with mask mandates as COVID-19 vaccination rates continue to climb. Fauci was asked about comments from other public health officials, particularly Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration, who said mask requirements should be relaxed as the risk of COVID-19 falls. ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked if Fauci agreed, to which the doctor said: “I think so.”  “I think you’re going to probably be seeing that as we go along and as more people get vaccinated. The CDC will be, you know, almost in real-time, George, updating their recommendations and their guidelines,” Fauci said on ABC’s “This Week.” “But, yes, we do need to start being more liberal as we get more people vaccinated. As you get more people vaccinated, the number of cases per day will absolutely go down.”