MASKLESS CHAMBER.
HE PREVIEWED A RETURN TO A
MASKLESS AMERICA.
JOINING ME FOR MORE ON THIS NEW
COVID PLAN, HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES SECRETARY XAVIER
BECERRA.
MR. SECRETARY, WELCOME BACK TO
"MEET THE PRESS DAILY".
>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU, CHUCK.
>> LET ME START WITH WHAT WE
SHOULD VIEW THIS PLAN AS BEING,
AND IS THIS A WAY OF ESSENTIALLY
SAYING THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY IS
OVER?
>> IT'S A WAY OF SAYING AMERICA,
THANK YOU.
SHOUT OUT TO EVERYONE WHO
VAXXED, GOT BOOSTED, WORE MASK,
GOT TESTED.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING US GET TO
THIS POINT WHERE WE KNOW WE'RE
IN A BETTER PLACE AND LET PEOPLE
MOVE FORWARD, GO BACK TO WORK,
GET TO SCHOOL, CONTINUE TO BE
SAFE, BUT THANK YOU.
>> IF YOU LOOK AT THE DATA TODAY
AND YOU COMPARE IT TO A YEAR
AGO, NOT A LOT HAS CHANGED.
WE HAVE ABOUT 60,000 DAILY CASES
TODAY, 68,000 A YEAR AGO.
LITTLE UNDER 2,000 DEATHS A DAY,
A LITTLE OVER 2,000 A YEAR AGO.
50,000 IN THE HOSPITAL A YEAR
AGO, YOU SEE WHERE I'M GOING
HERE.
THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IS FULLY
VACCINATED.
215 MILLION VERSUS 30 MILLION.
I GUESS, IS -- OUTSIDE OF THE
VACCINATIONS, IF WE STILL HAD
THOSE STATS WOULD WE STILL BE IN
AN EMERGENCY?
>> WELL, I WOULD HOPE THAT ANY
TIME THAT YOU'RE LOSING MORE
THAN 2,000 AMERICANS A DAY, WHEN
YOU'VE GOT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
AMERICANS WHO ARE STILL GETTING
INFECTED AND SEVERAL THOUSAND
WHO ARE IN THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE
OF A PARTICULAR DISEASE, THAT WE
WOULD SAY, THIS IS SERIOUS AND
THAT'S WHERE WE ARE.
IT IS, EVEN THOUGH IT'S A TALE
OF NUMBERS THAT ALMOST LOOK THE
SAME, IT'S A FAR DIFFERENT PLACE
AND IT IS MOSTLY BECAUSE OF THE
VACCINATION.
>> YOU KNOW, CAN WE REALLY MOVE
BEYOND MASKS UNTIL EVERYBODY CAN
GET VACCINATED?
IS IT FAIR TO SAY THE MASK
MANDATE ON PLANES, IN SORT OF
THE -- ON FEDERAL PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION, TRAINS, WE'RE
GOING TO KEEP IT UNTIL EVERYBODY
FROM INFANT FORWARD CAN GET
VACCINATED?
>> CHUCK, IT'S MORE -- THIS IS
NOT A LIGHT SWITCH.
YOU CAN'T GO ON AND OFF.
IT'S A MATTER OF DOING THIS,
KNOWING THE SCIENCE, BEING
THOUGHTFUL ABOUT HOW WE DO THIS.
THERE WILL BE PEOPLE WHO
CONTINUE TO WEAR MASKS.
SOME HAVE TO.
THOSE WHO ARE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED.
UNDER 5 YEARS OF AGE, CHILDREN,
STILL AREN'T VACCINATED.
WE STILL HAVE REASON TO BE
CAUTIOUS.
LOOK, WE'RE IN A DIFFERENT PLACE
TODAY AND WE CAN MOVE FORWARD
AND KNOW WHAT'S TAKES AND
PUTTING THE TOOLS TOGETHER THAT
MEDICINE CABINET IS MORE FULL.
>> WHO WILL MAKE THAT CALL?
THE MASK MANDATE EXPIRES ON
FEDERAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN
THREE WEEKS.
WILL THAT LIKELY GET RENEWED AND
EXTENDED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME
FOR SURE, OR IS THAT UP IN THE
AIR?
>> CDC WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE A
LOOK AT WHAT ALL THE INFORMATION
IS.
AGAIN, WE'LL TAKE ALL THE
ELEMENTS, PUT THEM TOGETHER, BE
THOUGHTFUL, CONSULT WITH THE
EXPERTS.
AT THE END OF THE DAY THE
PRESIDENT MADE IT CLEAR WE'RE
GOING TO FOLLOW THE SCIENCE.
WE'RE GOING TO URGE EVERYONE TO
BE NOT JUST THOUGHTFUL BUT
RESPONSIBLE AND MOVE FORWARD.
>> DO THE SCIENTISTS TELL YOU WE
SHOULD EXPECT THIS TO BE
SEASONAL THAT WE WILL HAVE
PEEKS.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE LAST TWO
YEARS IT FELT LIKE THE SOUTH IS
WHERE WE GET HIT HARD IN THE
SUMMER, THE NORTH WHERE WE GET
HIT HARD IN THE WINTER.
IS THAT A PATTERN SCIENTISTS ARE
TELLING YOU TO PREPARE FOR THIS
YEAR?
>> THERE ARE SOME REAL CLEAR
PATTERNS.
YOU'RE NOT VACCINATED, YOU'RE
MORE LIKELY -- WAY MORE LIKELY
TO END UP IN A HOSPITAL AND DIE.
WINTER LIKE THE FLU, YOU WILL
SEE MORE CASES BECAUSE IT'S A
VIRUS AND PROLIFERATES DURING
COLD SEASONS WHEN WE TEND TO
HUDDLE NOTING SPOTS THAT AREN'T
AS VENTILATED.
THE PATTERNS ARE THERE.
THAT'S WHY WE CAN KNOW HOW TO
TREAT THIS AND MOVE FORWARD
BECAUSE THE PATTERNS ARE THERE
AND NOW AS I SAID WE HAVE A
TOOLBOX AND MEDICINE CABINET
THAT ARE FAR MORE EQUIPPED.
>> IS IT FAIR TO SAY WE'RE IN AN
ENDEMIC?
WE'RE LIVING WITH COVID IS OUR
VERSION OF DEFEATING IT?
>> WHAT'S FAIR TO SAY IS THAT
AMERICANS, WE OWE YOU A GREAT
DEAL OF GRATITUDE FOR
VACCINATING, FOR FOLLOWING THE
GUIDANCE, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO
DO THAT BECAUSE WE WANT TO GET
BACK TO A PLACE OF NORMALITY.
THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING
TO HELP US GET BACK TO THAT
STOP.
>> LOOK, I GET WHAT YOU'RE
SAYING, YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE
CAUGHT SAYING WE'RE GOING TO
HAVE TO LEARN TO LIVE WITH
COVID.
YOU'RE NOT THERE YET?
>> I HAVE STAFF WHO HAVE KIDS
UNDER 5 YEARS OF AGE.
WHAT DO I SAY TO THEM?
LET'S ALL BE CAUTIOUS AND
RESPONSIBLE.
IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.
THE ROCKET OR DISEASE SCIENTISTS
ARE DOING WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO,
WE KNOW WHAT WE HAVE TO DO AND
BE RESPONSIBLE.
>> THE BIGGEST REASON WE MAY
HAVE GOT THE LAST VARIANT IS HOW
UNDER VACCINATED THE WORLD IS.
WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT VACCINATING
MORE OF THE WORLD.
BUT IT FEELS LIKE THAT PROGRESS
HAS BEEN SLOW.
WHAT'S YOUR EXPLANATION OF WHY
THIS HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO
GET -- TO SPEED UP VACCINATING
THE WORLD?
>> THE PRESIDENT SAID IT LAST
NIGHT AND THE PRESIDENT WALKED
HIS TALK ON VACCINATING NOT JUST
AMERICANS BUT GETTING THE WORLD
VACCINATED.
WE'VE DONE MORE THAN ANY OTHER
COUNTRY, FOUR TIMES MORE THAN
ANY OTHER COUNTRY, AND WE WILL
CONTINUE TO DO IT BECAUSE WE
UNDERSTAND THAT FOR AMERICANS TO
BE SAFE EVERYONE IN THE WORLD
HAS TO BE SAFE BECAUSE THOSE
VARIANTS TRAVEL AND THEY TRAVEL
VERY FAST.
WE WILL DO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO
AND WE'RE GOING TO URGE OUR
BRETHREN AROUND THE WORLD TO
JOIN US THIS WEEK ON HOLDING A
MINISTERIAL WITH MY
COUNTERPARTS, HEALTH MINISTERS,
TO TALK ABOUT THIS MORE IN
PREPARATION FOR THE PRESIDENT'S
GLOBAL SUMMIT TO ALL BE PREPARED
TO HANDLE NOT JUST COVID, BUT
ANY PANDEMIC AND KNOW HOW TO
RESPOND.
>> FINALLY, JUST TO WRAP THIS
UP, YOU BROUGHT UP THE
IMMUNOCOMPROMISED.
I BROUGHT UP THE FOLKS UNDER 5.
IS IT FOLKS SHOULD PREPARE THAT
UNTIL WE GET -- UNTIL EVERYBODY
CAN GET VACCINATED WE'RE LIKELY
TO HAVE SOME NATIONAL AREAS
WHERE WE VALUE TO WEAR MASKS,
AIRPLANES, TRAINS, OR IS THAT
STILL NOT A DECISION THAT'S
GOING TO BE MADE YET?
>> AGAIN, THAT'S THE PART OF
BEING THOUGHTFUL OF HOW WE DO
IT.
I WILL POSE IT BACK TO YOU AND
YOUR AUDIENCE.
IF YOU KNOW -- IF YOU KNOW
SOMEONE IN YOUR FAMILY WHO HAS A
4-YEAR-OLD, IS IT UP TO YOU TO
HELP THAT 4-YEAR-OLD AND YOUR
RELATIVE, THE PARENTS OF THAT
CHILD, TO BE SAFE?
I THINK ALL OF US HAVE A
RESPONSIBILITY.
IT'S NOT FAIR FOR THOSE OF US
WHO THINK WE'RE THROUGH, TO SAY
IT'S ALL GOOD.
SPIKE THE BALL IN THE END ZONE.
NO, WE HAVE FAMILIES.
WE HAVE AN AMERICAN FAMILY TO
TAKE CARE OF.