Dr. Fauci Warns ‘We’re Not in a Good Place,’ Calls Florida Bar Re-Opening ‘Very Concerning’
Dr. Anthony Fauci warned on Good Morning America that the U.S. is “not in a good place” in tamping down the spread of the coronavirus ahead of the fall and winter seasons.
In an interview with ABC’s Amy Robach on Monday, the White House Coronavirus Task Force member was asked about the country averaging 40,000 new cases per day.
“We’re not in a good place,” the NIAID director said. “As we get into the fall and the winter, you really want the level of community spread to be as low as you possibility get it.”
“There’s certainly parts of the country that are doing well,” he continued. “But… there are states that are starting to show uptick in cases and even some increases in hospitalizations in some states. And, I hope not but, we very well might start seeing increases in deaths.”
“You don’t want to be in a position like that as the weather starts getting cold. So we really need to intensify the public health measures that we talk about all the time.”
Fauci was asked about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lifting restrictions on bars and restaurants — considered vectors of the disease — throughout the state.
“We’re not closing anything going forward,” DeSantis said.
Fauci called the decision “very concerning.”
“That is something that we really need to be careful about, because when you’re dealing with community spread and you have the kind of congregate setting where people get together particularly without masks, you’re really asking for trouble,” he said. “Now’s the time actually to double down a bit.”
“We’re not talking about shutting anything down,” Fauci noted. “We’re talking about common sense type of public health measures that we’ve been talking about all along.
When pressed on what it would take for another shut down, Fauci said he didn’t want to “go there.”
“Obviously, if things really explode you’d have to consider that. But we want to do everything we possibly can to avoid an absolute shutdown,” he said.
Watch above, via ABC.
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com
