Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is encouraging Americans to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend — even if that means going out.
The top infectious disease expert appeared on CNN with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Thursday where he was asked to give advice to the American people as the United States approaches Memorial Day weekend.
Fauci recommended that people get out and enjoy a breath of fresh air. Noting that the level of precaution will depend on where you are in the country, he is still stressing the importance of adhering to social distancing guidelines while doing so.
“Memorial Day, it’s a very important holiday. Hopefully the sun will be out. We’ll be having people who want to get out there and get fresh air,” Fauci said.
“You can do that,” Fauci said. “We’re not telling people to just lock in unless you’re in a situation where you have a major outbreak going on, we don’t have too much of that right now in the country.”
See Fauci’s remarks below:
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, says Americans should “go out” for Memorial Day.
— CNN (@CNN) May 22, 2020
“Go out, wear a mask, stay 6 feet away from anyone so you have the physical distancing, and go out.” #CNNTownHall https://t.co/VmYxwv4ftT pic.twitter.com/0iuWlZb4qD
He also clarified that the life changes do not mean people must stay locked in, but instead, remain cognizant of their surroundings.
“Go out, wear a mask, stay 6 feet away from anyone so you have the physical distancing, and go out. Go for a run. Go for a walk. Go fishing. As long as you’re not in a crowd and you’re not in a situation where you can physically transmit the virus, and that’s what a mask is for, and that’s with the physical distance.”
Fauci’s CNN appearance came hours after he expressed caution about moving too quickly with completely reopening.
During an appearance on “Pass the Mic” with actress Julia Roberts, Fauci warned about the dangers of completely pulling back mitigation efforts, as previously reported on IJR.
“Now is not the time to tempt fate and pull back completely.”
He also reiterated the importance of social distancing saying, “The scientific evidence clearly indicates that physical separation has worked but not completely if you look at the curves in our country. It isn’t like every day its dramatically going down.”
