Dr. Anthony Fauci had a word of caution Monday for protesters around the US pushing to reopen states as quickly as possible. That word was “backfire.” In an appearance on Good Morning America, Fauci acknowledged that the coronavirus was doing real damage to the economy. “But unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery economically is not going to happen,” he said, reports the Hill. Fauci reiterated that states should follow guidelines laid out by the White House for phased reopenings, based on testing data. “So what you do if you jump the gun and go into a situation where you have a big spike, you’re going to set yourself back,” he said. “It’s going to backfire. That’s the problem.”
Fauci added that the government is currently running 1.5 million to 2 million tests per week, but “we really need to get up to, at least, you know, maybe two times that, three times that.” Governors have complained that not enough tests are available, and VP Mike Pence told them in a videoconference Monday that “when it comes to testing, we’re here to help.” The AP obtained audio of the call. President Trump, meanwhile, took a more confrontational approach on Twitter. The “Radical Left” and “Do Nothing Democrats” first “screamed” about ventilators,” he wrote. “Now they scream ….’Testing, Testing, Testing,’ again playing a very dangerous political game.” Trump said tests were the responsibility of states, not the federal government. “But we will work with the Governors and get it done.” (Read more Anthony Fauci stories.)
