New US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Erica Schwartz told agency staff she wants them to feel safe and free from retribution for honest conversations, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, citing a recording of the meeting they heard.

"I'm so sorry that you have to live under this extreme psychological unsafety," Schwartz said in her first address to full staff since becoming director, the report said.

The comments came in response to an employee question about fear of retribution for speaking up, according to the report. Schwartz said she hopes staff will hold leaders accountable and eventually feel they can trust leadership and speak freely.

CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MT Newswires.

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