Do public health officials need to be political activists? A fight over an HIV crisis renews the question
Most local health officials don’t accept their jobs expecting to be roped into political activism.
Amid Covid-19, though, politics became a central element of health experts’ job descriptions. In Washington, government researcher Anthony Fauci publicly feuded with former President Trump. In many cities and states, local health departments were forced to square off against governors who resisted coronavirus mitigation strategies like business closures or mask mandates.
