Task force urges vigilance

Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, urged Americans to be vigilant as the pandemic surges across the country, but Vice President Mike Pence said President Donald Trump opposes lockdowns and closing schools to curb the spread of the virus. The task force briefed reporters Thursday at the White House for the first time since April.

Task force members didn’t take questions and Trump himself did not appear at the briefing. “Every American needs to be vigilant in this moment because we know when you are, we can stop this spread together,” Birx said. She urged Americans to wear masks and practice social distancing, two precautions that have been discouraged by the president and his closest medical adviser, Scott Atlas, who did not participate in the briefing. “We do not need to close our schools,” Pence added.