SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KRON) – Leader of the national coronavirus task force Dr. Anthony Fauci weighed in On Wednesday on California’s response to the coronavirus and issues with reopening.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a key leader in the nation’s coronavirus response, complimented California but says its people could do more.
“Californians have risen to the occasion on social issues in the past, you’ve been the leaders. This is an issue that really has social responsibility to it,” Fauci said.
In an interview with the Sacramento Press Club, Fauci warned the next few weeks are going to be crucial for the country, including California.
The warning comes as the state now sees an uptick in the rate of positive coronavirus cases.
“I don’t think it’s anything that the state of California is doing wrong or not, it’s what the response of the people are to what the opening process is,” Fauci said.
Governor Newsom Wednesday said with plenty of hospital capacity and other resources prepared, he doesn’t plan on pausing California’s reopening process.
“As we start to see more and more compliance with our mask mandate, then I think we can move forward more safely and work our way through this without having to toggle back,” Newsom said.
Fauci praised state leadership and the governor’s mask order, urging Californians to follow it but he also left something for the governor to consider.
“In many respects I agree with him, you don’t really need to go back to lockdown. You need to pause and say wait a minute, we’re starting to open and things aren’t going right, what do we need to do to correct that? You may need to stay where you are and impose a few more restrictions or maybe backup a little,” Fauci said.
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