明尼苏达大学传染病研究和政策中心主任迈克尔·奥斯特霍尔姆博士称，佛罗里达州法官最近推翻联邦公共交通口罩规定的裁决是“一个真正的挑战”。

“这不会是我们为应对任何危机而采取的最后一项公共卫生措施，”奥斯特霍尔姆周日独家告诉《本周》联合主播玛莎·拉达茨。"明天的危机会是什么?"

运输安全管理局上周宣布，自该指令被取消以来，该机构将不再强制执行旅行口罩要求。但在疾病控制中心介入后，司法部正在对该决定提出上诉。

奥斯特霍尔姆补充道:“从优先顺序来看，这个案子非常非常重要。”。“我认为，围绕屏蔽指令本身及其有效性的困惑是一个次要问题，但也是一个重要问题。”

拉达茨跟进，问奥斯特霍尔姆本周告诉《纽约时报》关于口罩的公共卫生信息已经“离题太远了”

“嗯，是关了。首先，让我说清楚，我非常非常强烈地支持呼吸保护，”他说。“如果有人使用N95呼吸器，他们可以做很多事情来保护自己和保护他人。但是这种病毒是通过我们所说的气溶胶传播的。漂浮在空气中的是非常细小的颗粒。就像烟一样。就像香水一样。而且你还得有一个高质量的呼吸保护装置来保护自己。”

“我认为我们想要做的是停止谈论口罩，谈论有效的呼吸保护，”奥斯特霍尔姆补充说。

“你是怎么做到的?”拉达茨问道。

奥斯特霍尔姆回应说:“首先，美国公众已经与疫情断绝关系，尽管该病毒还没有与我们断绝关系。”。"我们必须认识到，在公共卫生领域."

“那么，我们能做些什么呢?嗯，我们必须有可信度，”他补充道。“再一次，发生的事情已经变成了...真的是哲学和政治问题，而不是科学问题。”

尽管他反对布口罩，奥斯特霍尔姆仍然强烈建议使用N95口罩，“特别是如果你是一个免疫系统受损的人。”

奥斯特霍尔姆说:“如果每个人都能做到这一点，他们就会在飞行期间一直戴着它，而不是把它戴在鼻子底下，那么这将是一种非常有效的获得授权的方式。”

Raddatz还询问了疫情的情况，因为大多数州的病例都在增加。

"疫情现在的真实状况是怎样的?"她追问。

奥斯特霍尔姆说:“你知道，玛莎，相对于这些变种，疫情的每一天都是全新的一天。”。“我们知道我们有更具传染性的菌株，所以，你知道，你不能今天就给出答案，说这是我们现在的情况，因为明天，它可能会发生变化。”

尽管病例数量不断增加，但全国范围内因该病毒住院的人数仍处于历史最低水平，奥斯特霍尔姆称之为“好消息”。

“但我想强调的是，明天一切都可能改变，这是公众不愿意听到的，”他补充道。“他们希望这一切结束。”

Osterholm calls decision striking down mask mandate on mass transit 'a real challenge'

Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, called the recent ruling by a Florida judge striking down the federal mask mandate on mass transit "a real challenge."

"This is not going to be the last of the need for public health measures we've taken for any crisis," Osterholm told "This Week" Co-Anchor Martha Raddatz exclusively on Sunday. "And what could be the crisis of tomorrow?"

The Transportation Security Administration announced last week that the travel mask requirement will no longer be enforced by the agency since the mandate was struck down. But the Department of Justice is appealing the decision after the Center for Disease Control weighed in.

"On precedence, this case is very, very important," Osterholm added. "I think the confusion around the mask mandate itself and how effective it is, is a secondary issue, but one that is still important, too."

Raddatz followed up, asking Osterholm abouttelling The New York Times this weekthat public health messaging around masking has been "way off the mark."

"Well, it is off. First of all, let me be really clear, I am very, very strongly in support of a respiratory protection," he said. "Someone can do a great deal to protect themselves and protect others if they’re using an N95 respirator. But this virus is transferred by what we call aerosols. It’s very fine particles that float into the air. It’s like smoke. It’s like perfume. And you have to have a high-quality respiratory protection device to protect yourself."

"I think that what we want to do is stop talking about masking and talking about effective respiratory protection," Osterholm added.

"And how do you do that?" Raddatz asked.

"First of all, the U.S. public is done with the pandemic, even though the virus is not done with us," Osterholm responded. "And we have to recognize that in public health."

"So, what is it that we can do? Well, we have to have credibility," he added. "And again, what has happened is this has become ... really a philosophical and political issue, not a science issue."

Despite his objections to cloth masks, Osterholm still strongly recommends the use of N95 respirators, "particularly if you're an immune-compromised individual."

"If everybody can do that, they would keep in on to the duration of a flight, not wear it underneath their nose, then that would be a very effective way to have a mandate," Osterholm said.

Raddatz also asked about the pandemic as cases rise in most states.

"What is the true state of the pandemic right now?" she pressed.

"You know, Martha, every day is a brand new day with this pandemic, relative to the variants," Osterholm said. "We know that we have strains that are much more infectious, so that, you know, you can't come up with an answer today to say this is where we're at because tomorrow, it could change."

Despite rising caseloads, hospitalizations stemming from the virus are still at all-time lows nationwide, something Osterholm called "good news."

"But I want to emphasize that could all change tomorrow, and that's what the public is not willing to hear," he added. "They want this to be over."