In an August 13 interview with Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo, Fauci admitted that even he doesn’t wear a mask at all times when he’s outdoors. While Fauci cautioned that “you’ve got to be careful everywhere,” he noted that he was happy to see people taking advantage of the great outdoors without masks, as long as they’re maintaining adequate distance from others. “When I see people out on a beach running with nobody around them—good for you! Do it! You don’t need to be locked down outside,” he said. As for his own routine, Fauci said that, on his daily four-mile walk, he typically keeps his mask around his chin as he chats with his wife. “If you’re walking with your dog or your wife or husband or somebody that you’re in the house with anyway, and you’re not going to stay separated from them, then just do it,” he said. However, “[if] 50 yards ahead, I see someone coming, I go like that,” he said, pulling his mask back up over his mouth and nose. “You can do that!” While Fauci touted mask-wearing as one of the most important components when it comes to lowering new cases of coronavirus throughout the U.S. and enabling the safe reopening of schools, he said that Americans don’t need to see mask-wearing as a completely inflexible rule.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Fauci said that many people think, “either you’re going to lock yourself in a closet or you’re going to be out partying with no mask,” when a more moderate approach may be effective. Though Fauci underscored the importance of continuing to wear a mask indoors and in outdoor situations where social distancing isn’t possible, “You can see your friends,” if you’re taking the recommended precautions. “You can’t interrupt your life totally, indefinitely,” he said. “You’ve got to try to safely get back to normal.” And for more insight into how to stop the spread, Fauci Says We Won’t Have COVID Contained Next Year Without These 2 Things.
