Former CDC head 'very encouraged' by US data
Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Monday that he's "very encouraged" by the country's current COVID-19 metrics.
Speaking to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos during an interview on "Good Morning America," Besser said the United States is "definitely" moving in the right direction with COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths on the decline in "a lot of communities" and vaccinations on the rise.
As the Halloween holiday draws near, Besser advised families living in areas where COVID-19 numbers are going down to remain vigilant by wearing protective face masks and using hand sanitizer when trick-or-treating this year. Otherwise, he encouraged them to "enjoy the holiday."
"These kinds of things are very good for emotional health and you can do them safely," explained Besser, who is now the president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
When asked whether he thinks the situation will improve to a point where children won't need to wear masks in school, Besser said it will come down to what's happening at the community level.
"I think if we're in a situation where vaccines are available and the rate of disease in the community is very low, we'll get to a point where we won't need masks anymore," he said. "There will be a day where kids can go to school without masks and just be kids."
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