'Outnumbered' on Fauci urging Americans to disinvite the unvaccinated from Christmas
The 'Outnumbered' panel discussed his remarks and the Biden administration's COVID-19 response.
Dr. Anthony Fauci informed Americans that they may want to bar unvaccinated relatives from visiting this holiday season.
On Tuesday, Fauci appeared on MSNBC’s "The Beat with Ari Melber" to discuss holiday plans within the wide-spread Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Within the month of December, the Omicron variant has now grown to the most dominant variant of COVID-19 in the United States with cases rising in various cities.
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Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dec. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (AP)
Because of that, MSNBC reporter Alicia Menendez questioned "If someone in your family isn’t vaccinated, should you ask them not to show up?"
"Yes, I would do that," Fauci answered.
He added, "I think we're dealing with a serious enough situation right now that if there's an unvaccinated person I would say, 'I'm very sorry, but not this time. Maybe another time when this is all over.'"
Fauci has heavily pushed Americans to receive both shots of the COVID-19 vaccine as well as an additional booster shot as the Christmas season approached. On Friday, he even admitted that changing the definition of "fully vaccinated" because of the booster shot was "certainly on the table."
Employees of Nomi Health check in a long line of people for COVID-19 tests, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in North Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
On Wednesday, Fauci also suggested that even vaccinated family members may want to avoid holiday gatherings to the Omicron variant. During a news briefing with the White House COVID-19 task force, Fauci advised people, even those who were vaccinated and boosted, to "stay away" from large gatherings of 30-50 people.
"Those are the kind of functions — in the context of COVID, and particularly in the context of omicron — that you do not want to go to," Fauci said.
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FILE - Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) (AP)
Fauci has been frequently criticized for continuing to suggest limiting freedoms during the coronavirus pandemic, even for people who are vaccinated. Early in December, he suggested families should enforce vaccine mandates of their own for any gatherings.
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"And that's the reason why people should, if they invite people over their home, essentially ask and maybe require that people show evidence that they are vaccinated, or give their honest and good faith word that they have been vaccinated," Fauci said.