Coronavirus: Fauci warns of ‘suffering and death’ if states open up too soon in stark contrast to Trump messaging

Government task force member said governors who decline to follow guidelines take deadly risk

Testifying at a US Senate committee, Dr Anthony Fauci of the Trump administration’s coronavirus task force warned of the lethal risk that states take by reopening their economies prematurely.

Asked by Pennsylvania senator Bob Casey to expound upon his worries, Dr Fauci was unambiguous: “My concern is that if states or cities or regions in their attempt, understandable, to get back to some form of normality, disregard to a greater or lesser degree the checkpoints that we put in our guidelines about when it is safe to proceed in pulling back on mitigation.

“Because I feel if that occurs, there is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you might not be able to control and in fact, paradoxically, will set you back – not only leading to some suffering and death that could be avoided, but even set you back on the road to trying to get economic recovery.

“Because it would almost turn the clock back rather than going forward. That is my major concern, senator.”

The guidelines to which Dr Fauci alluded have been published under the name Opening Up America Again, a document that spells out advice for reopening cities, states and regions in phases.

The criteria to be met a before proceeding to a “phased comeback” depend on the decrease in various measures over a 14-day period. Few if any states, including those reopening now, have met these criteria.

Dr Fauci pointed to this problem before the committee. “I get concerned if you have a situation where the dynamics of an outbreak in an area are such that you are not seeing that gradual, over-14-day decrease that would allow you to go to phase one, and that if you pass the checkpoints of phase one…

“What I’ve expressed then and again is my concern that if some areas, cities, states or what have you, jump over those various checkpoints and prematurely open up without having the capability of being able to respond effectively and efficiently, my concern is that we will start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks.”

In a somewhat unusual move for the Trump administration, the White House endorsed Dr Fauci’s remarks on reopening rather than siding with Republican governors who have moved to reopen their economies.

While the president has lately argued that governors should lift their lockdowns – at one point tweeting that citizens of Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia should “LIBERATE” their states – White House press spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told the assembled press corps that the guidelines are what matters.

“The president believes in the [administration’s] phased guidelines to reopening, which Dr Fauci signed off on, along with Dr [Deborah] Birx,” she said. “And we encourage every state and governor to follow [them].”