Biden’s CDC choice supported strict COVID-19 measures in US.

Former North Carolina Health Secretary Mandy Cohen Tapped to Lead CDC

President Joe Biden has reportedly chosen Mandy Cohen, former North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, to be the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, her record during the COVID-19 pandemic in North Carolina is raising concerns about her expected appointment.

Longest Restrictions and Strictest Mask Mandates

During Cohen’s tenure at NCDHHS, North Carolina implemented some of the longest restrictions and strictest mask mandates in the country, leading to significant socioeconomic troubles for the state.

North Carolina was one of the first states to close public schools on March 14, 2020, which was supposed to last “at least two weeks,” according to the initial NCDHHS announcement. Schools, however, did not reopen until March of 2021. By 2021, Cohen acknowledged that “students need in-person school not only for academics, but to learn social skills, get reliable meals, and to continue to grow and thrive.”

Learning Loss and Mask Mandates

North Carolina was especially hit by learning loss during this period, ranking as the eighth worst state in terms of math and reading deficiencies and decreases in public school enrollment. Cohen was also a strong advocate of mandatory masking of children in schools, including those in early elementary years.

The same executive order that shut down schools also banned gatherings of more than 100 people beginning on March 14, 2020, and stay-at-home orders went into effect on March 30, 2020, lasting until the end of May 2020. A statewide mask mandate took effect in June 2020 and was not lifted until February 2022, after Cohen’s departure from NCDHHS.

Economic Disruption and Criticism

As a result of Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D-NC) order that forced bars and restaurants to shut down in March 2020, nearly 10% of the state’s independently owned bars permanently closed. Unemployment benefits were extended by the same executive order in recognition of how these public health measures would affect workers. Low-income households, especially those with children, were the most vulnerable to economic disruption due to shutdowns. The measures taken by Cooper on Cohen’s watch drew criticism from Republicans, including in 2020 from President Donald Trump, who was forced to move the GOP convention from the state because of its restrictions.

Treasurer of North Carolina and current GOP candidate for governor in 2024, Dale Folwell, called for prayers for the future of America’s health under Cohen’s leadership. “As a member of the NC Council of State, my observation is that the actions of Dr. Mandy Cohen during Covid resulted in more disease, death, poverty and illiteracy,” Folwell tweeted.

It remains to be seen how Cohen’s record in North Carolina will impact her leadership of the CDC.