Joe Biden Breaks Mask Plan Hours After Implementing It

President Joe Biden appeared to break a mask guideline on Tuesday evening, just hours after it was implemented following first lady Jill Biden's COVID-19 diagnosis.

On Tuesday night, Biden presented the Medal of Honor to Captain Larry L. Taylor in the White House, and at one point, he was seen standing next to several individuals without wearing a mask.

"KJP (White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre) just said that Biden is going to wear a face diaper indoors because his wife tested positive for Covid," the Citizen Free Press wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Here he is not 30 minutes later closely interacting with an old veteran. No mask, in his face, touching the man's clothing."

In the video posted by the Citizen Free Press, Biden is not seen wearing a mask while standing next to Captain Taylor and, as he leaves the room, walking past dozens of people in the audience. However, when the ceremony began, Biden wore a mask on stage but took it off shortly after to start his speech.

Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.

Earlier on Tuesday, Jean-Pierre said during a press conference that the first lady had tested positive for COVID-19 and noted that while the president tested negative for the virus, he would be taking steps to limit any potential spread.

"As far as the steps that he is taking: Since the president was with the first lady yesterday, he will be masking while indoors and around people in alignment with CDC guidance," Jean-Pierre said. "And as, as has been the practice in the past, the president will remove his mask when sufficiently distanced from others indoors and while outside as well."

"The CDC guidelines recommend a combination of masking, testing, and monitoring for symptoms...There are currently no updates to the White House COVID-19 protocols. We continue to work closely with public health and medical professionals to monitor the virus," Jean-Pierre added.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that individuals exposed to COVID-19 should wear a protective face mask for at least 10 days after learning of the exposure.

After videos showed Biden removing his mask during the Medal of Honor ceremony, Fox News' Peter Doocy questioned the president's move, saying "No mask in this other video as he was leaving that event, not sure why he would need one to go in that exact way, but not to leave that little corridor."

Over the past few weeks, the U.S. has seen a slight increase in new COVID-19 hospitalizations. The CDC released new information related to the BA.2.86 variant, which it said "may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received COVID-19 vaccines."

Some hospitals and schools have returned to mandating masks in response to the slight increase. However, some Republican officials have taken a stance against any return to mask requirements, such as Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who signed legislation blocking the enforcement of mask mandates by government institutions.

"Working with the Texas Legislature, Governor Abbott signed a law this year codifying his executive orders from 2021, prohibiting any government entity from establishing mask or vaccine mandates and from closing businesses or schools due to COVID," Abbott's spokesperson told Newsweek last week.