won't play blame game
Gov. Baker says there were many ‘mixed signals’ in virus response
Gov. Charlie Baker said he won’t “point too many fingers” at Trump administration officials who earlier this year repeatedly downplayed the threat of coronavirus in the U.S.
“There were a lot of mixed signals coming from a lot of places, all the way through the early part of this,” Baker said during a briefing on Wednesday. “A lot of people were still just trying to discover what the nature of the virus was, how it worked, what it was about. That’s a little bit on everybody, but I hesitate to point too many fingers.”
Baker pointed out that even esteemed immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci, “didn’t think you needed to wear a mask.”
The governor’s comments came in response to reporters’ questions about more than 100 emails from federal health officials between January and March in which Trump administration health officials repeatedly downplayed the threat of the virus, as first reported by WBUR.
The highly infectious virus was first discovered in Wuhan, China, last December and Baker said the world has had to learn about COVID-19 and tailor its response in real-time. As a result, many “top players” in public health from around the world have “changed their tune” about best practices as the pandemic has progressed, Baker said.
“Take the mask — OK, back in February and March, Dr. Fauci didn’t think you needed to wear a mask. I think he is probably one of the most credible people on this issue you’re going to find anywhere in the country,” Baker said.
Mask-wearing — along with social distancing and personal hygiene — is now touted as one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control.
“(Fauci) changed his mind when people started to realize how big the asymptomatic element that could spread the virus was,” Baker said.
The Trump administration has been widely criticized for a slow initial response to curbing the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. in early 2020 as the death toll began to tick up and cases skyrocketed around the globe.
Baker says he has developed relationships with infectious disease and epidemiological experts in Massachusetts who “are the first people we call for guidance and advice” on the state’s coronavirus response.
Six months into the outbreak, Baker said the world now has “a pretty good idea” of how to manage and contain the pandemic going forward. He highlighted testing and contact tracing efforts and the importance of personal protective equipment.
“I hope we’ve all learned the lessons and I’m not just talking about here in Massachusetts, but in Boston, across the country and hopefully around the globe,” the governor said.