Former FDA Chief: U.S. should lean more aggressively to lift COVID-19 restrictions

CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering sophmore Brian Acevedo, 16, receives a vaccination from LPN Myra Glass of East Hartford at a mass vaccination site at Pratt & Whitney Runway in East Hartford, Conn., Monday, April 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

According to the former head of the FDA, the U.S. should lean more aggressively to lift coronavirus restrictions. In an interview over the weekend, Dr. Scott Gottlieb said the decline in new cases is locked in at this point and he doesn’t expect another surge.

The physician thinks officials should really focus on easing restrictions related to outdoor activities. He asserted that people should not be be required to wear masks outside anymore and outdoor gatherings should be encouraged without capacity limits.

In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal Sunday, Dr. Gottlieb suggested the CDC update its guidelines to permit outdoor gatherings without face masks. He said the policy process in Washington, D.C. is “moving too slowly” and should, instead, follow states like Texas and New Hampshire by relaxing outdoor requirements.

From @WSJopinion: The CDC is moving too slowly on Covid. It needs to keep up with what the science says is actually dangerous, writes @ScottGottliebMD. https://t.co/ctnEYvGL53

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 26, 2021

Dr. Gottlieb said even though other strains of the virus are popping up around the country, people are more immune because of vaccines or prior infections. This comes as the CDC has reported more than half of Americans have received their first dose and nearly 40 percent are fully vaccinated.

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