Coronavirus task force reports again
Administration seeks to stay the course on reopening
WASHINGTON — There was no presidential appearance and no White House backdrop Friday when the government’s coronavirus task force briefed the public for the first time since April — in keeping with an administration effort to show it is paying attention to the latest spike in cases but is not on a wartime footing that should keep the country from reopening the economy.
In light of a new surge in cases, task force briefers chose their words carefully to update the public about COVID-19, which has become both a public health and political issue.
Vice President Mike Pence had the most delicate line to walk. He acknowledged a surge in new cases across the South and West, while backing the president’s desire to get the economy up and running.
“As we see new cases rising, and we’re tracking them very carefully, there may be a tendency among the American people to think that we are back to the place that we were two months ago — in a time of great losses and a great hardship on the American people,” Pence said.
But the vice president also took note of positive job numbers and added: “The reality is we’re in a much better place.”
Unbound by politics, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, sounded a more cautionary tone.
“As you can see, we are facing a serious problem in certain areas,” Fauci said. But he also was careful not to blame the recent spike on gatherings where people haven’t worn face masks or adhered to social distancing guidelines.