Sunday shows – Fauci: Possibly a ‘few months’ until life gets ‘back to normal’
by The Hill staff
Top Trump administration officials including Dr. Anthony Fauci and Tresury Secretary Steven Mnuchin appeared on multiple Sunday morning talk shows to discuss the federal government’s response to the novel coronavirus.
The governors of Ohio and Illinois gave their perspectives as well, with both saying bars and restaurants in their states could be closed to help prevent the virus’s spread.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday that it is possible it will take “a few months” before life goes “back to normal” amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday that the steps the U.S. is taking to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus will likely mean the worst-case estimates for the number of deaths don't materialize.
Young people should be concerned about the coronavirus outbreak, which has disproportionately targeted the elderly population, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said Sunday.
“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 think people understand if you’re an American citizen, if you are a family member, that you can get back, you don’t need to rush back. But it’s understandable if when people see a travel ban, they immediately want to … get home.”
“What I’d focus on is what do we need to do right now because it’s clear we need to get economic relief to the economy right now,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on “Fox News Sunday.” “If the medical professionals are correct and we’re doing all the things, I expect we’ll have a big rebound later in the year.”
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday that he doesn’t know when the Google website designed to manage coronavirus testing will be ready to launch.
"Going by what medical experts are telling us, [the outbreak] may not peak until the latter part of April or May," Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said. "We've informed superintendents while we've closed schools for three weeks, odds are we will go on a lot longer."
Illinois Gov. J.B Pritzker (D) said Sunday the state is "looking hard" at the possibility of closing bars and restaurants, suggesting a lockdown may be the next step the state takes as it grapples with the coronavirus outbreak.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said Sunday the federal government needs to take control of the supply chain of medical supplies in order to help localities mitigate the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
"My concern is that we have millions of health-care workers around this country who are prepared to do battle against this virus, but I'm concerned that there are at least a couple of areas of supplies that they need in order to fight that virus as effectively as possible," Dr. Peter Slavin said.
