Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recommended COVID-19 restrictions during the global pandemic led to significant life disruptions for young people.
In his testimony to the House Oversight Committee on Monday, Fauci conceded that the 2020 restrictions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were not underpinned by scientific evidence or clinical trials.
This revelation is both disheartening and infuriating.
Millions prepared for the worst, trusting Fauci, following CDC guidelines, and coping with the loss of normalcy.
With the onset of social distancing guidelines, mask mandates, and stay-at-home orders from the CDC, lives were irrevocably changed.
Young people were instructed to cease attending school, seeing friends, and leaving their homes as efforts were made to halt the spread of COVID-19.
Though many adopted a new lifestyle in 2020, the hearing revealed these guidelines were not science-based. Yet, we were told these restrictions were necessary.
We were deceived. And young people lost life milestones by placing their trust in Fauci.
For young people, milestones such as changing grades, graduating high school, graduating college, and getting married mark growing up. But under Fauci’s 2020 guidance, these milestones were restricted.
Events critical to the journey to adulthood were taken away, supposedly under the guise of science. Now, we know it was not based on science.
The issue extends beyond paused milestones; it encompasses the disregard for the well-being consequences on young Americans.
School closures disrupted children’s lives. Remote learning proved relatively ineffective, especially impacting underprivileged public school students, causing them to fall behind academically.
Mental health issues in teenagers and adolescents skyrocketed. A CDC poll on students’ mental health in 2021 revealed a 37% spike in mental health problems, with 44% of students feeling hopeless during the pandemic.
Nevertheless, students had to adhere to the guidelines.
Aside from mental wellness, overall child safety was compromised in 2020. Students in abusive homes faced increased risks of child abuse and neglect. The same CDC study indicated more than half (55%) of students experienced emotional and verbal abuse during the pandemic, and 11% faced physical abuse at home.
Yet, people trusted Fauci, resulting in needless suffering for millions.
When the time finally came to reintegrate into schools and colleges, mask mandates and 6-feet social distancing requirements altered the interactions.
Social distancing separated students from teachers, friends, and athletes. These requirements were touted as safety measures for everyone, from preschoolers to the elderly. However, children were relatively unaffected by COVID-19.
Everyone was impacted by these changes during the pandemic, but the effects surpass daily life alterations. There are permanent consequences of Fauci’s judgment calls.
Not only were milestones canceled, but small joys of growing up—like getting a driver’s license, competing in athletic events, going to prom, spring break, and summer internships—were paused for young people.
These significant and formative life events were lost, yet we accepted the restrictions, mourned the losses, and carried on because we trusted the science. The truth now reveals the needless nature of these losses and the falsehoods behind the science.
Young people will never forget growing up during a global pandemic that altered their lives without scientific justification, all under Dr. Fauci’s guidance.
