The White House is enforcing a mask mandate and social distancing guidelines for visitors who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated, an email shows.
Lawmakers invited to attend “College Athlete Day,” where athletes from championship collegiate teams get to visit the White House, were told to mask up for the event if they are not vaccinated, according to an email obtained by Fox News.
“Masking Guidance: Fully vaccinated guests are not required to wear a mask on the White House grounds,” the email from the White House Office of Legislative Affairs said [bold original]. “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.”
COVID tests will not be required for entry to the event, which will take place on Monday. It will feature teams from all over the country with the notable absence of the NCAA Division I football champions Georgia Bulldogs. The Bulldogs said in a statement last month that “the date suggested is not feasible given the student-athlete calendar and time of year.”
The masking requirements come months after President Joe Biden declared the COVID national emergency over.
Biden signed a resolution in April ending COVID emergency orders after lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives passed the resolution. The national emergency declaration, first declared in March 2020, led to draconian social distancing rules, closures of small businesses and schools, and mask and vaccine mandates.
“The President signed into law: H.J.Res. 7, which terminates the national emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the White House said in a short news release.
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After becoming president, Biden took a hostile approach to those who declined to get vaccinated for COVID, blaming the unvaccinated for the spread of COVID.
“So there’s no excuse!” Biden said in a January 2022 speech. “No excuse for anyone being unvaccinated. This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated. So we got to make more progress. And for patients who still haven’t gotten your kids vaccinated, please get them vaccinated. Look out for their interests here. It’s the best way to protect them.
The Biden administration attempted to enforce a vaccine mandate through the Department of Labor. The mandate for businesses was later struck down by the Supreme Court after numerous companies and organizations, including The Daily Wire, sued to challenge the mandate.