World Health Organization Now Walking Back Their Support For Masks, Lockdowns

The World Health Organization is one of the organizations most responsible for the horrific abuses and failed policies of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Immediately, in response to the revelation that a new virus had started spreading in China, the WHO looked to protect one of its primary sources of funding. They did so by supporting China's extreme policies, putting their faith and trust in what the Chinese Communist Party told the world. Not only that, but many of those exact policies had been extensively studied in pre-pandemic planning documents prepared by WHO experts and researchers. 

And those pandemic planning documents either specifically recommended against such draconian mandates, or highlighted a lack of available supporting evidence. But as with virtually every other public health or medical organization, the WHO abandoned their principles, abandoned science, data, and fact-based decision making, and turned to panic, fear, and support for authoritarian overreach. 

Now, as funding dries up and post-pandemic efforts to hold such organizations accountable continue, they're acting like they never supported or encouraged any of it. 

They did.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wears a mask after leaving a ceremony of the restarting of Geneva's landmark fountain, known as "Jet d'Eau" following the COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the novel coronavirus on June 11, 2020 in Geneva. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

WHO Issues Inaccurate Denials On Mask Mandates, Lockdown Policies

Within the last few weeks, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the head of the Department of Health and Human Services, announced that the United States had formally withdrawn from the World Health Organization. That long overdue announcement was a welcome relief for many who were outraged with the WHO's conduct during the pandemic. Not just with regard to policy, but in their efforts to tamp down speculation and investigation into the potential that the coronavirus leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. 

Those efforts had an obvious motivation: not upsetting China. 

Regardless, the announcement was met with immediate criticism from the WHO's Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. And most importantly, an inaccurate denial of their role in the proliferation of mask mandates, vaccine mandates, and the "physical distancing" recommendation that led to universal lockdowns.

"While WHO recommended the use of masks, physical distancing and vaccines," Ghebreyesus' post on X said, "WHO did not recommend governments to mandate the use of masks or vaccines and never recommended lockdowns. WHO supported sovereign governments with technical advice and guidance that was developed on the basis of evolving evidence on COVID-19 for them to make policy decisions in the best interests of their citizens. Each government made their own decisions, based on their needs and circumstances."

Here's the thing though; not only is that a misleading interpretation of events, but it's a tacit acknowledgment that those mandates and authoritarian policies were a complete failure. Why else would he be so defensive? Why else would he rush to deny the organization's involvement in those mandates? 

So what did the WHO actually say about lockdowns and mandates in 2020 and beyond? Nothing good!

In one briefing in July 2020, Tedros said that governments could use "the law" to force through aggressive interventions. He proudly explained a new "database of laws" used by countries in response to the pandemic, such as "state of emergency declarations, quarantine measures, disease surveillance, legal measures relating to mask-wearing, physical distancing and access to medication and vaccines."

Even better, he championed those laws, saying that "well-designed" implementation "can help to build strong health systems, evaluate and approve safe and effective drugs and vaccines and enforce actions to create healthier and safer public spaces and workplaces."

And this is where his claims in 2026 are so dishonest. No, the WHO was not and is not able to force governments into specific policies. But to act as though they didn't openly support those mandates and lockdowns is profoundly dishonest. Not to mention purposefully naive. Of course global politicians would look to the WHO for advice and recommendations on how to handle COVID. That's ostensibly what the WHO is there for. Now that everyone can see that their advice and recommendations were a comprehensive, historic, disastrous failure, they act as though they're just humble farmers nobody listens to.

Tedros Forgets His Own Activism During COVID

Another WHO document from June 2020 perfectly exemplifies why they're so anxious to downplay their past positions now. In the "Advice on the use of masks in the context of COVID-19" document, there's this remarkable piece of misinformation: "The use of masks is part of a comprehensive package of the prevention and control measures that can limit the spread of certain respiratory viral diseases, including COVID-19. Masks can be used either for protection of healthy persons (worn to protect oneself when in contact with an infected individual) or for source control (worn by an infected individual to prevent onward transmission)."

This is, of course, not what American "experts" like Dr. Fauci were saying at the time. Fauci and the CDC, you may remember, specifically said masks were for source control only. Later on, as their advice was failing, they added the personal protection aspect too, based on nothing. Nor was any of this advice supported by the WHO's own research, data, high quality studies or evidence reviews, it was simply the politically expedient thing to say at the time. Hilariously, they even admit as much later on, writing, "Many countries have recommended the use of fabric masks/face coverings for the general public. At the present time, the widespread use of masks by healthy people in the community setting is not yet supported by high quality or direct scientific evidence…"

Incredible. No high quality or direct evidence, yet because the scientific herd had decided masks worked, the WHO followed right along. And again, they specifically told governments what to do, as the very next section says, "governments should encourage the general public to wear masks in specific situations."

And here's yet example of his dishonesty. In a briefing held in March 2020, Tedros specifically recommended lockdowns, saying that it was a "choice we should make" to give up freedom to fight the virus.

"On especially social distancing or staying at home and less travel, we know this actually influences the individual human rights but this is a choice that we should make," Tedros said. "eaning in order to have collective security, to be better as society and to fight the virus we give up our freedom for a while."

He even gave direct recommendations to government, advising them to enact laws to force people to stay home and lose their "individual freedom."

"This can be arranged by governments; there are many ways," he added. "They can use their parliament to have provisions for a short, short period and people will agree as long as it brings collective security, they will agree and people understand to limit their individual freedom if it's for the betterment of the society and when it's for a short period."

There you have it. A direct contradiction of what he's saying now, because, huge surprise, all of this guidance was incompetent, indefensible, inaccurate, and utterly disproven and discredited. Tedros and the WHO have lost a tremendous amount of influence because they abandoned putting evidence first, by their own admission. They abandoned pre-pandemic planning recommendations. They specifically downplayed the importance of "individual freedom," told governments to lockdown society, encouraged them to do so with laws and mandates, and now act like they're completely innocent. It's a joke, and it's why we're no longer part of this disgraced organization. Good riddance.