Birx: Masks good, fall’s a mystery

Dr. Deborah Birx says wearing a mask is common sense, and it's too early to tell whether we'll have a second coronavirus shutdown.

The White House coronavirus task force expert said Sunday that “clear scientific evidence” shows that masks prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but she dodged questions about President Trump's reluctance to wear one.

“Out of respect for each other, as Americans that care for each other, we need to be wearing masks in public when we cannot social distance,” Birx said on “Fox News Sunday.”

Birx refused to criticize Trump for pointedly avoiding wearing a mask in public, suggesting that she believes the president would do so if he was unable to keep a safe distance from others.

“I've asked everybody independently to really make sure that you're wearing a mask if you can't maintain the 6 feet,” Birx said. “I'm assuming that in a majority of cases, he's able to maintain that 6 feet distance.”

The public health expert also insisted that she doesn't know whether the nation will have to stay at home again to combat an expected uptick in death and misery in the fall.

“I want to be very clear to the American people — we are preparing for that potential fall issue,” Birx said on ABC's “This Week.”

Birx stressed that the government was focusing on stockpiling medical equipment like ventilators and personal protective equipment so health care workers do not face a rerun of the chaotic early weeks of this spring's pandemic. She wouldn't say, though, whether she agrees that the nation will not have to shut down again if and when the so-called “second wave” strikes.

“It's difficult to said. tell,” Birx