The former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases head appeared on ABC’s “This Week” to discuss the recent rise in COVID cases.
While Fauci said he does not predict a federal mandate, he thinks there may be “recommendations.”
“You’ve also said we’re not going to go back to the time of the federal mask mandates. That’s the thing of the past,” host Jonathan Karl noted.
“I can see that if we get a significant uptick in cases that you may see the recommendation that masks be used under certain circumstances in indoor crowded settings,” Fauci said.
“I would be extremely surprised if we would see that,” he said of mask mandates. “There may be local organizations that may require masks, but I think what we’re going to see mostly are, if the cases go up, that there might be recommendations, not mandates. There’s a big difference there.”