Dr. Anthony Fauci, the immunologist who has headed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for decades, is warning against re-opening the nation too early, in direct contradiction to where the President apparently is headed.
“We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we’re not there yet,” Dr. Fauci, referring to testing, told the AP Tuesday.
President Donald Trump has teased a May 1 opening date, and reports say he wants a big opening, not a gradual one. Trump falsely believes the economy will come roaring back immediately due to “pent up demand.” Others say Americans right now are too afraid, and rightly so, to go out in public until there is a vaccine or until antibody therapies are widely available.
“Fauci said a May 1 target is ‘a bit overly optimistic’ for many areas of the country,” the AP adds. “Any easing off the strict social-distancing rules in place in much of the country would have to occur on a ‘rolling’ basis, not all at once, he said, reflecting the ways COVID-19 struck different parts of the country at different times.”
But Trump’s trusted top economics expert Larry Kudlow late Tuesday morning told reporters the President would make a “very important” announcement in the next day or two about opening the country back up. He also claimed, “the country is ready to go back to work,”
President Trump had Fauci speak at the beginning of Monday’s off-the-rails press conference to walk back remarks he made that apparently irritated the President. Trump earlier had retweeted a post that called for the 79-year old to be fired.
Fauci also warns that relaxing current stay at home guidelines will lead to new infections.
“I’ll guarantee you, once you start pulling back there will be infections. It’s how you deal with the infections that’s going count,” Fauci said, adding, “getting people out of circulation if they get infected, because once you start getting clusters, then you’re really in trouble.”