Outbreak at WH could’ve been prevented: Fauci
Donald Trump wants second presidential debate on October 15 to go ahead, Biden not keen on taking part in the in-person event
Top US infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci, whose advocacy of public health guidelines to fight the coronavirus has conflicted with President Donald Trump’s downplaying of the pandemic, said on Tuesday the recent rash of coronavirus infections at the White House could have been prevented.
Several close aides to Trump and senior Republican politicians have tested positive for the coronavirus since the Republican president announced on Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump had contracted the virus.
“Take a look at what happened this week at the White House,” Fauci said in an interview with American University’s Kennedy Political Union, when asked what advice he had about how people could discuss preventive actions with relatives who believed the pandemic was a hoax.
“That is a reality, right there. And every day that goes by more people are popping up that are infected. It’s not a hoax. It’s an unfortunate situation when you see something like that because that could have been prevented,” Fauci said.
Trump returned to the White House on Monday from a military hospital where he spent three nights being treated for Covid-19, telling Americans “to get out there” and not let their lives be dominated by the virus.
The US president, who faces Democratic rival Joe Biden at the November 3 election, has pushed for quicker reopening of the economy and schools and accused Democrats of preventing that for political purposes.