Fauci To Warn Senate That ‘Needless Suffering And Death’ Looms If Officials Act Too Soon

Dr. Anthony Fauci will speak before the Senate Tuesday and is expected to present a stern warning as states begin to enact reopening plans.

The top infectious disease expert, who has been a key figure in the White House coronavirus task force, shared with the New York Times what he will discuss.

“The major message that I wish to convey to the Senate HLP committee tomorrow is the danger of trying to open the country prematurely,” he wrote in an email Monday evening to a New York Times reporter. “If we skip over the checkpoints in the guidelines to: ‘Open America Again,’ then we risk the danger of multiple outbreaks throughout the country. This will not only result in needless suffering and death, but would actually set us back on our quest to return to normal.”

Fauci referenced the White House plan, titled Opening Up America Again, which takes a three-phased approach to guide local and state officials in reopening local economies while curbing the spread of the virus.

Tuesday will mark Fauci’s first appearance before Congress since President Donald Trump declared a national emergency two months ago.