The Biden Administration Claims To Be Following CDC Guidance. They’re Not

White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients has repeatedly claimed President Joe Biden is following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the administration navigates the pandemic. Turns out, that is false.

Zients was recently pressed by CNN’s Jake Tapper on why Biden wears a mask during press briefings with fully vaccinated journalists while being fully vaccinated himself.

“Is it really necessary for a fully vaccinated person to wear a mask at a limited indoor gathering if everyone there is vaccinated?” Tapper asked during an interview on “State of the Union,” according to Fox News.

“Well, the CDC has given guidance that when you’re with family and friends that are vaccinated in small groups you don’t need a mask,” Zients said, before Tapper reminded him everyone in the press briefing room is vaccinated.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 13: White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients (L) and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci brief reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 13, 2021 in Washington, DC.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“The president is going to continue to follow the CDC guidance. It’s just a matter of a few weeks ago when all states made vaccines eligible for all Americans. So there still are Americans who want to get vaccinated, who may just have their first shot and are waiting for their second shot or who haven’t had an opportunity to get their first shot.”

“Let’s follow the CDC guidance,” Zients continued, according to the report. “And the CDC guidance across time will allow vaccinated people more and more privileges to take off that mask.”

Biden himself was pressed on why he was wearing a mask while with other fully vaccinated individuals, telling a reporter “it’s still good policy to wear the mask. That’s why. When I’m outside – and the problem is: Lots of times, I walk away from this podium, you notice, I forget to put my mask back on because I’m not used to not wearing it outside.”

Despite insistence from the Biden Administration that it’s better policy to wear a mask while fully vaccinated, the CDC disagrees.(RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Republicans Call On Biden Administration To Investigate CDC’s Alleged ‘Collusion’ With Massive Teachers Union)

Recent CDC guidance says people who are fully vaccinated can “visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing,” and even visit with unvaccinated people who are at low risk for coronavirus without wearing a mask or physical distancing.

Retired Adm. Brett Giroir recently said Biden was sowing skepticism about the vaccine by wearing a mask outdoors, and would possibly feel similar regarding wearing a mask indoors with other fully vaccinated people.

“We know the transmission is very low. I think this is very confusing and it’s causing people to not have faith in the vaccine. It’s exactly the opposite of what we want,” he said on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.”