Dr. Anthony Fauci lauds how New York manages the coronavirus pandemic. He said the state kept the outbreak under control "correctly."
The White House health advisor stressed that the number of coronavirus cases will decline if handling it is done properly.
“We know that, when you do it properly, you bring down those cases. We have done it. We have done it in New York,” Fauci told “PBS NewsHour” that aired Friday evening.
“New York got hit worse than any place in the world. And they did it correctly by doing the things that you’re talking about,” he said.
New York used to be an epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the US, recording more than 10,000 new Covid-19 cases a day during its peak in April. The state was able to reduce daily new cases to 776 as of Thursday.
According to the tracking project Covid Act Now, New York remains one of nine US states that keep the coronavirus outbreak under control. Moreover, less than 1% of New Yorkers tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday, a decline from a high of more than 40%.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo implemented strict reopening requirements in the US. He imposed stay-at-home orders while businesses are still closed far longer than states that are now seeing high increase in cases such as Texas and Florida.
The coronavirus has infected more than 400,000 New Yorkers since the pandemic began and killed 32,463 people in the state.
Phase 4
Cuomo announced that New York City will be entering phase 4 on Monday. The succeeding stage of reopening will allow outdoor activities like outdoor films, zoos, and gardens. Meanwhile, indoor restaurants, museums, bars, and malls will still be closed.
“I’m so proud of what New Yorkers have done. But we must continue to be on alert,” Cuomo said on a tweet.
However, Cuomo stressed that a second wave of the coronavirus is still possible, as dozens of states across the US try to handle a high number of coronavirus infections after swiftly reopening in spring. Last Sunday, Florida recorded over 15,000 new coronavirus cases, more than New York during the peak of its outbreak.
In his comments Friday, Fauci addressed the surges around the country, urging people to wear masks and pushing for the closure of bars to limit the spread of the virus.
"Stay away from crowds"
“Stay away from crowds. Close the bars,” Dr. Fauci said. “You appeal to the people in the local areas, close those bars. They are seriously the — one of the major reasons why we’re seeing [the surges].”
“And I think, if we do that for a couple of weeks in a row,” he continued, “I think we’re going to see a turnaround, because we know that that works.”
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the coronavirus outbreak has infected more than 14 million confirmed cases and killed 597,000 people.
The US has recorded more than 3.6 million cases and a death toll of 139,302, based on the latest tallies, more than any other country.
