‘KIDS AT RISK’

Psaki Calls DeSantis’ Rejection of Masks in Schools ‘Greatly Concerning’

The White House press secretary stressed that kids under 12 are still susceptible to COVID-19, as they are not yet eligible to be vaccinated.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) on Thursday for speaking out against protective face masks in schools. “If I were a parent in Florida, that would be greatly concerning to me because kids under the age of 12 are not vaccinated. They’re not eligible yet,” Psaki told reporters, after the Florida governor announced that masks would not be required for the upcoming school year. “We're not doing that in Florida, okay?” DeSantis insisted during a news conference earlier Thursday. “We want kids to be able to be kids. We need them to be able to breathe.”

His comments came after President Joe Biden said during a town hall that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will “probably” advise children too young to be vaccinated to wear masks in school. Masks for eligible kids who are fully vaccinated likely won’t be necessary, he said.