NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The nation's top infectious disease expert is commending the Tri-State area, saying he's "positively impressed" with the region's handling of the reopening process.
The governors of all three states have followed a phased-in approach to restarting the economy after the coronavirus pandemic brought many businesses to a halt.
New Jersey entered Stage 2 of its reopening on Monday and Connecticut is ready for the second round of business re-openings Wednesday. In New York, many regions have already entered Phases 2 and 3, and New York City, which had been the epicenter of the outbreak in the country, marked a major milestone last week as it entered Phase 1.
"I'm pleased with what you're doing," Fauci said in an interview with WCBS 880's Lynda Lopez. "The Tri-State area suffered disproportionately more than almost any other place in the country, even in the world, and yet having come down, handled the situation well, where you're at the point where you can actually start in a very prudent way making those steps and observing the guidelines from the gateway to the Phase 1 to the Phase 2 I think have gone really well."
As more people return to work, that also marks a return to mass transit and Fauci said it's imperative that commuters wear a mask, especially since social distancing can be particularly challenging on trains and buses.
"Masks, although they're not 100 percent, they really are helpful," Fauci said. "The data that are coming in now to show that when you're in a situation where you cannot help but be close to someone having a mask really is a benefit so I would encourage those people who because of necessity who have to use the rapid transit system in the city that they do it and wear a mask."
Fauci also expressed concerns about large gatherings, including the thousands of protesters who have been taking to the streets daily to demand justice following the May 25 death of George Floyd.
"It doesn't matter where you gather or why you gather, when you have situations in which you're put into close proximity you increase risk of transmission," Fauci said, adding that it could take as many as three weeks to see a spike in cases.
He is urging protesters to wear masks to prevent a possible spread of the virus.
"If people are going to do it despite the risk, again, I give the same plea — please wear a mask... please keep the mask on. It's when people take the mask off and are close to people that you have the risk," Fauci said. "I'd hate to see a rebound in a city that's done so well based on something like this."
With reports indicating that some may be growing restless with the ongoing closures due to the virus, Fauci urges patience.
Over the weekend, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state had received 25,000 complaints of businesses violating reopening rules, particularly when it came to patrons socially distancing and wearing masks at bars and restaurants. In Brooklyn, some community members took the locks off playgrounds to let children in.
"That is risky business, to get back to a situation where you can do that within the context of the guidelines, just be a little bit more patient," Fauci said. "You are moving nicely from gateway to Phase 1, you're at the threshold of going into Phase 2, you do that successfully then you get to Phase 3 and then you're there and the risk is much, much less. So I would only encourage them to please be patient and please comply with the recommendations. You have a mayor and a governor that have done a really good job in leadership in that so listen to them."
Looking ahead to the fall and winter, Fauci said whether people will be able to gather around the Rockefeller Center tree or enjoy other normal activities around the holidays will depend on the dynamic of the infection.
"The virus and its activity and how you control it determines the kinds of things you can do," Fauci said, adding that the possibility of a second wave in the fall and winter does not necessarily have to be inevitable, especially if testing and contact tracing is in place to identify and isolate virus cases.
"If you can do that successfully, there's no reason to believe that there's not a good chance that you would be able to do the kinds of things you're talking about, but there's no guarantee right now. You're going to have to see how things shake out, So you have to be cautious, be hopeful but make sure you put into place the things that would be able to help you to do that," he added.
As for a vaccine, Fauci is cautiously optimistic and said there's a "reasonable chance" that it will be available at the end of the year or by early next year.
"There are going to be advanced vaccine trials mainly to determine if it works that are going to start probably the first couple of weeks of July," Fauci said. "We hope by end of this calendar year, we'll have enough information to make a determination as to whether it works and is safe and if it is we can have vaccine available to people in the very beginning of 2021 or even if we're really lucky at the end of this calendar year in December."
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