Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House pandemic task force, said in a press conference that younger Americans have been spreading the CCP virus as cases increase in several states.
“The overwhelming majority of people who are now getting infected are young people, like the people that you see in the clips in the paper or out in the crowds enjoying themselves,” Fauci noted.
Fauci added that “the thing that you really need to realize, that when you do that you are part of a process, so if you get infected, you will infect someone else.”
This week, some governors, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, said they are halting reopening plans amid a surge in cases.
Other Trump administration officials issued warning to younger Americans to stop spreading the virus to at-risk family members by gathering in large groups as the summer weather starts.
“I also want to appeal to the millennials and those that are under 40 — it’s really important that this group really commit themselves to these practices to protect those at risk,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Robert Redfield said of social distancing and masks.
Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, said that millennials should practice social distancing.
“We have made truly remarkable progress…. As we stand here today, all 50 states and territories across this country are opening up safely and responsibly,” Pence said.
Fauci and task force member Dr. Deborah Birx said that about half the new cases were found among people under the age of 35.
This week Abbott ordered all bars closed, while Florida banned alcohol at such establishments. A small but growing list of states shows they’re either backtracking or putting any further reopenings of their economies on hold because of a comeback by the virus, mostly in the South and West.
“It is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars,” Abbott said.
“The doctors told us at the time, and told anyone who would listen, this will be a disaster. And it has been,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, a Democrat who is the county’s top official. “Once again, the governor is slow to act. He is now being forced to do the things that we’ve been demanding that he do for the last month and a half.”
