coronavirus pandemic

Fauci: ‘We're Not in the End Zone Yet' on Covid Spread

“When I hear pulling back completely on public health measures, saying no more masks, no nothing like that, that is risky business,” Fauci told "Meet the Press"

White House Chief Medical Adviser on COVID-19 Dr. Anthony Fauci
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci warned state leaders against the “risky business” of eliminating public health measures, raising concerns on Sunday’s “Meet the Press” that the nation could see a new surge in cases if it lets its guard down.

About a dozen states have recently rolled back coronavirus-related restrictions including mask mandates or limits on indoor gatherings. But Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that even as things are headed “in the right direction,” caseloads were still too high to declare “victory” by slashing restrictions.

“Even though the decline was steep, we absolutely need to avoid the urge to say; ‘Oh, everything is going great,’” he told “Meet the Press.”

“Don’t spike the ball on the five-yard line. Wait until you get into the end zone. We are not in the end zone yet.”

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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