Fauci: I don’t see domestic travel restrictions in the immediate future

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday that he doesn’t think the U.S. will need to implement domestic travel restrictions in “the immediate future” due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Fauci, a member of the administration’s coronavirus task force, said on ABC’s “This Week” that the group has discussed “every possibility,” but domestic travel restrictions “have not been seriously discussed.”

“I mean, they’ve been discussed, but not seriously discussed,” he said. “I don’t see that right now or in the immediate future. But remember, we are very open-minded about whatever it takes to preserve the health of the American public.”

“I don’t see that right now in the immediate future but remember, we are very open-minded about whatever it takes to preserve the health of the American public,” Dr. Fauci tells @jonkarl when asked if the U.S. could impose domestic travel restrictions. https://t.co/b3vhObQa4c pic.twitter.com/4lcY79Lg0m

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 15, 2020

The coronavirus outbreak has spread across the country, including some hot spots like Washington state, parts of California and parts of New York, prompting some to ask whether domestic travel bans would be imposed in addition to the existing bans on people entering the U.S. from China, Iran and Europe. U.S. residents returning home are exempt. 

{mosads}Trump floated the idea of a domestic travel ban during a briefing Saturday, saying the administration was considering it.

The coronavirus has infected almost 3,000 people in the U.S., with 12 recoveries so far. Many events, including sports competitions, have been canceled across the country as several states ban the gathering of large crowds.