WATCH: Fauci clarifies the origins of 6-foot social distancing guidelines

Dr. Anthony Fauci said he was not responsible for creating guidelines for social distancing with at least six feet of separation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Congressional testimony Monday.

Fauci, who directed the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases before his retirement in 2022, said the social distancing guidelines came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “not me,” when Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Florida, gave him a chance to clear up confusion around pandemic guidance. He delivered his testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

The hearing was the latest effort among Republicans to question the U.S. response to the pandemic, including how pandemic prevention plans were created and communicated. Monday’s session was in part focused on the origins of the pandemic and the nation’s role in virus research in China. There are a number of theories about how COVID’s spread began, including a natural jump from animals to humans and a laboratory leak. Intelligence assessments on the origin of the virus are inconclusive.

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