The year 2020 might feel like a thing of the past, but Dr. Anthony Fauci says that COVID-19 isn’t quite “over” yet for the American public.
The Chief Medical Advisor spoke with Samantha Manning at Cox Media Group earlier this week. During their conversation, Manning asked what people can expect now that many cities and states are reducing their COVID restrictions. She wanted to know if we can expect another lockdown if more “aggressive” variants show up.
“I don’t think people should get the impression that we’re saying that this is all over,” Fauci said in the video below. “We are going to be dealing with SARS-CoV-2 for quite a while. We want to prevent the necessity of shutting anything down.”
Fauci’s comments come as many populous parts of the nation lift mask mandates for indoor settings. According to the New York Times, Mayor Eric Adam of New York City officially ended the mask mandate for public schools. He also ended the “proof-of-vaccination” requirement for most indoor venues, gyms, and dining establishments.
“It’s time to reopen our city,” Adams said on Friday.
Meanwhile, across the country, Los Angeles County is enacting the same change. Despite Dr. Fauci’s warnings that COVID isn’t over, the local officials also decided to lift indoor mask and proof-of-vaccination requirements. Residents can now go maskless in grocery stores, restaurants, and bars. California law, however, still requires vaccination proof for people to attend large indoor events.
Los Angeles County’s public health director Dr. Barbara Ferrer told the Times, “Covid-19 is a deadly virus, and it’s still with us — it ebbs and flows. We need to take advantage of the good times we’re about to be in, where we’re seeing much less risk across the board for so many, and be prepared, should we see a new variant.”
Dr. Fauci Continues to Encourage COVID Vaccination Since Pandemic Isn’t ‘Over’
In another interview earlier this week, Dr. Fauci once again reiterated that COVID isn’t over quite yet. He spoke with Danielle Moodie on her Woke AF podcast about moving forward with COVID.
“Many people for a variety of reasons… have a political tinge to [COVID],” Fauci began in the video. “About not wanting to get vaccinated, saying, ‘I’ll worry about myself and I’ll take care of myself, and I’ll take the risk.’ But when you’re dealing with a transmissible virus, you have a personal responsibility to yourself and to your family. But you also have a responsibility to society.”
Fauci added, “Because if you really want to make sure we put this virus, this outbreak, in the rearview mirror, we can make a contribution by not giving the virus the opportunity to circulate among us. And you do that by getting vaccinated. We call upon the spirit of the American people to be part of a society and communal effort to crush this virus.”
See the full video below.
