COVID-19 Crisis: Fauci Does Not Support Temporary National Lockdown

By Dana Cruz Oct 18 2020, 23:55 PM EDT

Dr. Anthony Fauci said he is not ready to push for a national lockdown in the U.S. despite the country's growing number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.

FILE PHOTO: Fauci, Redfield testify at U.S. Senate hearing on coronavirus response in Washington — Alex Edelman/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo/File Photo

In an interview on "60 Minutes" on CBS on Sunday, Fauci said things would have to get "really, really bad" for him to advocate for a national lockdown.

ETNT Health noted that this isn't the first time Fauci said a national lockdown isn't necessary.

Almost every month since June, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has expressed that he's against the complete shuttering of the economy.

When several states were experiencing resurgences in July, he said he's not sure a complete lockdown is needed.

"I think we can probably get around what we're doing now and put a lid on it and stop this by just being a bit more cautious," he said, adding that the country is currently "fatigued with restrictions."

He reiterated that public health measures have to be "a safe gateway" to open the country's economy, not get in its way. He said the measures have to help the U.S. get safety to where it needs and wants to go.

COVID-19 case counts are still trending in the wrong direction as the U.S. heads into what is believed to be the most challenging months of the pandemic, reported CNN.

Spikes that range from 10 percent to 50 percent are seen in 27 states, including Arizona, Texas, Washington, New Mexico, and others.

On average, the U.S. is seeing more than 55,000 new cases daily, which is up 60 percent since a mid-September dip.

Last Friday, the country reported the highest infection rate since July. There are now more than eight million cases of the virus that have been reported, and over 219,000 have died, as per John Hopkins University data.

WHO Also Advises Against Lockdowns

Fauci echoed the sentiments of the World Health Organization (WHO) on lockdowns.

As said in a Latin Post report last week, the WHO believes a national lockdown should only be seen as a last resort in addressing outbreaks.

Putting lockdowns in place, according to the WHO, should only be done to "buy you time to reorganize, regroup, rebalance your resources, protect your health workers who are exhausted."

Having a national lockdown can have a significant impact not just on a single country's economy but also on the world's economy.

Trump's COVID Diagnosis Did Not Surprise Fauci

When asked if he was surprised that President Donald Trump caught the coronavirus, Fauci said, "absolutely not."

He pointed out that safety measures were not in place last month during a Rose Garden event that Trump attended. The event featured the announcement of Amy Coney Barrett as the president's nominee to the Supreme Court.

Fauci added that he was worried the president would fall ill given the "precarious situation."

The event was crowded, people were not separated, and almost everyone was maskless, noted MarketWatch.

"When I saw that on TV, I said, 'Oh my goodness. Nothing good can come outta that'," he said. "Sure enough, the event turned into what could only be described as a superspreader event."