White House tells unvaccinated athletes to 'mask up' during visit for College Athlete Day

College athletes across the United States will be visiting the White House on Monday in celebration of "College Athlete Day," and the Biden administration sent out a letter informing athletes that they will be ordered to wear masks and practice social distancing if they have not been vaccinated against Covid-19, despite there no longer being a state-defined national emergency. 

The White House Office of Legislative Affairs sent out an email obtained by Fox News that requested the presence of Congress to be in attendance during the ceremony, which included a list of Covid-19 protocols to be taken.



"Masking Guidance: Fully vaccinated guests are not required to wear a mask on the White House grounds," the email states, according to the network. "Guests who are not fully vaccinated must wear a mask at all times and maintain at least 6 feet distance from others while on the White House grounds."

The White House claims that the protocols for Covid-19 were inadvertently included in the email and it does not reflect the administration's current guidance.

A White House spokesperson told Fox News that they are planning on sending an updated email to the college athletes ahead of their Monday visit to Washington DC, but did not indicate what guidance would be required. 

The White House grounds will be flooded with dozens of NCAA men's and women's national championship teams from Divisions I, II, and III to celebrate their national victories.

In April, President Biden signed a bill that terminated the Covid-19 national emergency declaration, despite previously declaring that the pandemic was over in September of 2022. The United States was one of the longest-lasting nations in the world to remain under a declared national emergency for the disease, and one of the last to allow foreign travelers who did not take the Covid-19 inoculation back into the country.