NOT SO FAST

Dr. Fauci rejects idea that all schools should reopen in the fall

WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, warned Congress on Tuesday that reopening schools and businesses too quickly could trigger a dangerous new outbreak.

During testimony before a Senate committee, Fauci rebuffed a suggestion by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., that schools should be reopened because evidence suggests the virus does not seriously affect children.

“I think we’d better be careful (that) we are not cavalier in thinking that children are completely immune to the deleterious effects” of the illness, Fauci said, noting that much is unknown about the virus and its effects. He noted recent cases of severe illness in children that may be linked to the virus.

And he dismissed a suggestion from the chairman of the Senate Health Committee, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., that a vaccine or treatment might be available by the time schools reopen in the fall, calling that “a bridge too far.”

Fauci largely avoided direct criticism of President Donald Trump or other GOP leaders, but he struck a significantly more cautious tone than the president, who has pushed for states to quickly end restrictions on business and other activities that were imposed to blunt the spread of the virus.

“If you think we have it completely under control, we don’t. The consequences could be really serious,” Fauci told the panel, warning about potential spikes in infections if states move too fast.

Trump increasingly has minimized the health impacts of the outbreak while calling for an end to the lockdowns that have devastated the nation’s economy.