‘A virtue signal of submissiveness’: Ted Cruz slams new CDC mask guidance

Cruz made the comments at a Senate committee hearing, saying "when... the CDC puts out this rule, even if you've been vaccinated, you got to put a mask on. It is the Biden administration that are telling people, vaccines don't work."

"I actually understand vaccines do work, which is why that is an arbitrary rule to require people have been vaccines," added Cruz.

Cruz then pointed out everyone in the senate committee has been vaccinated, adding "as soon as the CDC said that we saw Democrats putting on masks, not because the vaccine suddenly stopped working yesterday, but it was working two days ago. Nope. Because now it is a virtue signal of submissiveness to wear a mask."

The CDC released the controversial new guideline yesterday, which some, including Congressman Dan Crenshaw, have called the "last nail in the coffin" for public health's credibility.

White House's principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the CDC's reversal on mask guidance. "The message is simple, if you are in an area where Delta is surging, you should mask up indoors," she said.

"The CDC has to adapt to the virus and unfortunately, because not enough Americans have stepped up to get vaccinated. They had to provide new guidance to help save lives, especially for those immunocompromised and children."

Her mentioning of children being at risk of COVID-19 does not match the abundance of medical data which has shown that the risk of COVID-19 to children is very low, with many kids being asymptomatic when infected with COVID.

Following the announcement from the CDC, both the White House and House of Representatives reinstated their mask mandates. It is still to be seen if states, especially those run by democrats, will follow.