Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert on the White House coronavirus task force, pushed back against protesters demonstrating against stay-at-home orders, saying the U.S. economy won't recover until the virus is "under control."
Fauci said his message to the protesters is that "this is something that is hurting from the standpoint of economics" but that re-opening too soon could cause even more harm. His comments on ABC's "Good Morning America" contrasted with remarks made by President Donald Trump, who has encouraged the protests.
"Unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery economically is not going to happen," Fauci said. "So what you do if you jump the gun and go into a situation where you have a big spike, you're going to set yourself back."
Fauci acknowledged it can be "painful" to carefully follow federal guidelines recommending a phased re-opening, but failing to do so is "going to backfire."
Protests have erupted in Michigan, Minnesota, Texas and other states demanding that governors lift strict social distancing policies that have battered the U.S. economy. Some demonstrators have called for Fauci's firing.
Trump has encouraged the protests, tweeting that protesters should "liberate" Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia. The president said Sunday he watched footage of the crowded protests, called them "orderly" and said people "were all six feet apart."
"Some have gone too far, some governors have gone too far," Trump said when asked about his advice to the protesters. "Some of the things that happened are maybe not so appropriate."
