While COVID-19 cases are increasing across the country, many Americans are wondering whether businesses, schools and other institutions will shut down again as a protective measure against the virus.
Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Health, thinks that another lockdown is imminent if social distancing measures aren't enforced.
Dr. Jha spoke to Today about the COVID-19 cases surging across the nation.
If the United States “continues to ignore” the current surge, Dr. Jha says it may be heading the same way as Europe, where much of the continent is under strict lockdown.
However, the doctor shared that a lockdown could be avoided if people avoid gatherings, practice social distancing, and continue to wear face masks.
Since the lockdown that happened during the initial spike in COVID-19 cases this past spring, Dr. Jha said that our country had learned a lot.
“We know a lot of things are safe,” he said. “Certainly anything outdoors is reasonably safe especially if you are wearing a mask.”
As for Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly approaching us, Dr. Jha says if we continue to ignore rules, Americans will be in a lot of trouble this upcoming holiday season. He also emphasized that lawmakers and officials need to step up and continue to monitor the surging COVID-19 cases.
“We can’t wait until the season is upon us,” he added.
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Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases recently said the pandemic would have to get “really, really bad” before he could advise that drastic change.
Fauci, who is on President Trump’s coronavirus task force, said the country is “fatigued with restrictions.”
“So we want to use public health measures, not to get in the way of opening the economy, but to being a safe gateway to opening the economy,” Fauci said. “So instead of having an opposition: Open up the economy [to] get jobs back, or shut down. No. Put ‘shut down,’ away and say, ‘We’re going to use public health measures to help us safely get to where we want to go.”
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