Fauci doubles back to masks, suggests vaccinated wear them in low-vaccination areas

Less than two months after the government eased its COVID-19 mask requirements, the nation's chief infectious disease specialist suggested Sunday that vaccinated Americans "go the extra mile" and begin wearing them again in low vaccinated areas.

Dr. Anthony Fauci's recommendation led to howls by many on Twitter, who noted recently released emails from the NIH doctor suggested masks provided little protection. 

"DOES ANY SANE PERSON CARE WHAT LITTLE NAPOLEON SAYS?," a woman with the Twitter handle Conservative Gal tweeted Sunday afternoon.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 13 eased mask restrictions as vaccinations grew quickly.

Fauci made the rounds on the Sunday shows to address the new, contagious COVID-19 delta variant and slowing vaccination rates, offering his changed advice on masks.

“If you put yourself in an environment in which you have a high level of viral dynamics and a very low level of vaccine, you might want to go the extra step and say 'When I'm in that area where there's a considerable degree of viral circulation, I might want to go the extra mile to be cautious enough to make sure that I get the extra added level of protection, even though the vaccines themselves are highly effective,'” Fauci told NBC’s “Meet The Press.”

Some blue cities like Los Angeles and St. Louis have already reinstated a mask advisory for vaccinated and unvaccinated citizens as the delta variant has spread.