Fauci: Steer clear of Super parties
“Just lay low and cool it,” he says
WASHINGTON — The nation’s top infectious disease expert doesn’t want the Super Bowl to turn into a super spreader.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says when it comes to Super Bowl parties during the pandemic, people should “just lay low and cool it.”
He said during TV interviews Wednesday that now isn’t the time to invite people over for watch parties because of the possibility that they’re infected with the coronavirus and could sicken others.
Big events like Sunday’s game in Tampa, Florida, between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are always a cause for concern over the potential for virus spread, Fauci said.
“You don’t want parties with people that you haven’t had much contact with,” he told NBC’s “Today” show. “You just don’t know if they’re infected, so, as difficult as that is, at least this time around, just lay low and cool it.”
The NFL has capped game attendance at 22,000 people because of the pandemic and citywide coronavirus mandates.
SUPER BOWL SECURITY: There is no specific threat of an attack connected to the Super Bowl and related events despite concerns about the rise of white supremacist extremism, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.
The FBI has made several arrests in the Tampa area of people who allegedly took part in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. But Michael McPherson, chief of the Tampa FBI office, said no links have been found indicating something similar might occur surrounding Sunday’s game.
CUTTING IT CLOSE: Less than a week before the Super Bowl, the Chiefs have a pair of players on the reserve/COVID-19 list because of high-risk close contacts. Their close contact? A barber. A barber tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and gave wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and backup center Daniel Kilgore haircuts, a source confirmed to The KC Star.
Robinson and Kilgore have tested negative and were wearing masks while getting haircuts, as was the barber. If they continue to test negative, they can return to the team in time for the game. But they have been held out of practice while on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week. They were placed on the list Monday.
The barber had been scheduled to cut other players’ hair inside the Chiefs’ facility, per NFL Network. According to ESPN, that included quarterback Patrick Mahomes.