U.S. officials warned that much more needs to be done to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus and help the economy cope, urging Americans to significantly curb their social activity and calling for more action from Congress.
The Wall Street Journal reports the warnings Sunday came after the Trump administration expanded restrictions on travel from Europe and faced criticism for how it was processing frazzled travelers who were scrambling to return home from overseas. The administration also sought to expand access to tests for the virus, as the White House said over the weekend that President Trump himself had been tested negative for coronavirus.
The federal government’s leading voice on infectious diseases said Americans—particularly younger people—must help prevent community spread of the virus, urging them to stay home and avoid unnecessary public outings.
“Americans should be prepared that they are going to have to hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Dr. Fauci, appearing on all the major Sunday morning television shows, warned that it could be several weeks to a few months before life in the U.S. begins to return to normal. Dr. Fauci urged people to work from home if they can and practice “social distancing” to prevent a potentially catastrophic spike in infections.
He said he wouldn’t eat at crowded restaurants or fly on planes unless it is necessary, advice that he said applies especially to older Americans and those with health conditions. He said parents should think twice about sending their children out to crowded playgrounds. And young people, even though they appear to be less vulnerable, could be endangering the lives of their grandparents or elderly relatives by not heeding public health warnings, he said.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to congregate anybody anywhere,” Dr. Fauci said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
As Dr. Fauci issued his warnings, the Trump administration grappled with how to handle an influx of Americans and other travelers into the country, who were clogging customs at major airports in response to the European travel ban.
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