CDC Director: Leaked Reopening Guidance Was ‘In Draft Form’

FDA Bans 65 Chinese Mask Makers for Failing to Meet Filtration Standards

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has revoked approval for more than 60 N95-type mask manufacturers in China to export to the United States, after testing found that many of their products did not meet quality standards. The agency on May 7 cut the number of authorized manufacturers in China to 14 from around 80. Previously, on April 3, it had authorized the import of China-made masks that hadn’t been tested to counter shortages in personal protective equipment. One condition of that policy, however, was that the masks be tested by independent labs. Millions of masks had been imported since then. Testing by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that many of the masks did not meet the…

Reopening guidance reportedly shelved by the White House was still in “draft form” when it was leaked to the media, a top health official said Saturday.

The reopening guidance shared prematurely was in draft form and had not been vetted through the interagency review process. “This is an iterative effort to ensure effective, clear guidance is presented to the American people,” Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said in a statement.

“I had not seen a version of the guidance incorporating interagency and task force input and therefore was not yet comfortable releasing a final work product.”

The report, comprised of more than 60 pages, was sent to a number of top advisors to President Donald Trump, according to the Associated Press.

The media outlet cited internal government emails in its reporting on the document but did not publicly release the emails.

The guidelines in question included recommendations on how to reopen the country with support from the White House after the near-total lockdowns implemented by governors to try to slow the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

CDC Director: Leaked Reopening Guidance Was ‘In Draft Form’

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Friday that Redfield didn’t approve the report and contested the characterization of it as guidelines from the CDC.

“What’s the definition of CDC guidelines? Is it something that the CDC director has actually seen? I would endeavor to say yes. Is it something that a rogue CDC employee leaks to you guys? No, those aren’t CDC guidelines; those are guidelines in draft form that a rogue employee has given you for whatever personal reason they’ve decided to do that. Those guidelines are in the editing process,” she said.

On Saturday, McEnany shared Redfield’s statement.

“Thank you, Dr. Redfield for underscoring this, and no thank you to some members of the press who ran with inaccurate and dramatic headlines,” she said.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Task Force response coordinator, said that officials are working with the CDC on a series of plans that deal with matters ranging from how to improve mitigation of the virus to how to carry out contact tracing.

“Those are still being worked on. No one has stopped those guidelines. We’re still in editing,” she said during an appearance on CNN. “I just got my edits back from the CDC late yesterday. I’m working on it as soon as I get off of this discussion.”

Focus News: CDC Director: Leaked Reopening Guidance Was ‘In Draft Form’

China Needs to Develop More Nukes to Curb the US: Editor of Chinese State-Run Newspaper

China should expand its stock of nuclear warheads to 1,000 to counter the challenges posed by the United States, chief editor of the Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper argued in a May 8 social media post. The communist regime’s nuclear arsenal should include “at least 100 DF-41 strategic missiles,” said Hu Xijin, who is known for his hawkish stance on foreign relations. The DF-41, unveiled in mid-2019 by the rocket force of China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), is estimated to have a 12,000- to 15,000-kilometer range, the longest nuclear operating range in the world, and is capable of striking the continental United States. “We love peace and promise not to use nuclear weapons first, but we need a bigger nuclear arsenal to suppress U.S. strategic ambition and impulse against…