“The CDC’s credibility is dwindling within the face of contradicting masks administration,” says the ex-Obama official

Dr. Kavita Patel criticizes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for not effectively updating their guidelines on Covid masks.

“I think the CDC’s credibility is waning as fast as the coronavirus cases,” Patel said on CNBC’s The News with Shepard Smith. “This is not good news because we need guidance in the workplace, we need school counseling.”

“There are men and women working outside on phone lines and power lines on the lines and they still wear masks because we make it up without these instructions,” Patel said. “This actually puts more of us at risk, so it is time to step up. These are the difficult parts of government-public health communication, but we desperately need someone to do this.”

Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins said her confidence in the agency was being undermined by conflicting CDC guidelines.

“I used to have the utmost respect for instructions from the CDC,” Collins said during a congressional hearing on Tuesday’s response to the pandemic. “I’ve always viewed the CDC as the gold standard. I don’t remember.”

The CDC did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Meanwhile, Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski has stated that federal mask requirements put fishermen’s work at risk.

“You’re on a boat. The winds are howling. Your mask is damp,” Murkowski said during the hearing. “Tell me how anyone thinks this is a sensible and sensible policy?”

Patel, who served in the Obama administration as political director for the Bureau of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, echoed Murkowski’s concerns.