Dr. Anthony Fauci is speaking out about the anti-lockdown protests that took place in multiple states over the weekend.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director appeared on “Good Morning America” with George Stephanopoulos on Monday where he was asked about the protests across the United States.
Stephanopoulos also asked Fauci what his message would be to protestors. According to Fauci, protesting efforts will “backfire.”
“If you jump the gun and go into a situation where you have a big spike, you’re going to set yourself back,” he said. “So as painful as it is to go by the careful guidelines of gradually phasing into a reopening, it’s going to backfire. That’s the problem.”
Check out Fauci’s remarks:
“Clearly this is something that this is hurting …. but unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery, economically, is not going to happen.” — NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci on protests against stay-at-home orders. pic.twitter.com/n7x3cunEAm
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 20, 2020
While Fauci is aware of the economic hurdles Americans are facing, he is stressing the importance of getting the virus “under control.” He also warned about the grim possibility of a resurgence explaining how the protests will be counterproductive for economic recovery.
“I think the message is that, clearly, this is something that is hurting from the standpoint of economics, and the standpoint of things that have nothing to do with the virus,” Fauci said.
“But unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery, economically, is not going to happen,” he added
Fauci’s warning comes amid protests in multiple states. Footage of rallies captured hundreds of people protesting against stay-at-home orders demanding that governors reopen the economy despite the continuous rise in coronavirus cases.
Some of the videos even captured protestors in Austin, Texas calling for Fauci to be fired.
Check out the video below:
The United States currently has more than 760,000 positive cases and a death toll of over 40,000.