Fauci Flip: ‘prolonged’ stay-at-home orders could have ‘irreparable damage’

Even Dr. Anthony Fauci believes we can’t say closed forever.

In fact, Fauci told CNBC Friday that imposing stay-at-home orders for a prolonged period of time could cause “irreparable damage.”

“I don’t want people to think that any of us feel that staying locked down for a prolonged period of time is the way to go,” Fauci said.

Fauci said that lockdowns and stay-at-home orders were necessary at one point because the number of COVID-19 cases were exploding in the country.

“But now is the time, depending upon where you are and what your situation is, to begin to seriously look at reopening the economy, reopening the country to try to get back to some degree of normal,” he said.

Related Story: Gretchen Whitmer extends Michigan stay home order to June 12

That doesn’t mean, though, not continuing to follow social distancing orders, Fauci said.

Earlier Friday, Fauci told NPR it is “conceivable” that the U.S. could have a coronavirus vaccine available by December.

The United States started the first phase of human trials trials for vaccines Monday.

“We still have a long way to go obviously,” Fauci said. “There are so many things that need to be done. We’re going to go quickly into a phase three trial probably in the beginning of the summer, sometime in July.”

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