Seven states should be on alert for rising coronavirus cases over Labor Day weekend, Fauci says
ydzhanova@businessinsider.com (Yelena Dzhanova)
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Business Insider•September 5, 2020
Dr. Anthony Fauci at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on June 30, 2020 in Washington, DC.
Al Drago/Getty Images
The nation's top infectious disease specialist warned that seven states might see a surge in the number of positive coronavirus cases after the Labor Day weekend.
"There are several states that are at risk for surging, namely North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
In the past, several states have reported surges in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases after a holiday weekend like Memorial Day or the Fourth of July.
Dr. Anthony Fauci delivered a grim warning ahead of the Labor Day weekend, saying that seven states should be on high alert for a potential spike in coronavirus cases.
"There are several states that are at risk for surging, namely North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois," Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the leading White House coronavirus expert, told Bloomberg News.
"Those states are starting to see an increase in the percent positive of their testing; that is generally predictive that there's going to be a problem."
The warning comes after at least one of those states engaged in large-scale events in recent weeks.
South Dakota held a 10-day motorcycle festival last month, a spectacle that drew more than 400,000 people and led to hundreds of positive cases nationwide connected to the event. Most attendees had not worn a mask and did not adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Multiple states have reported surges in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases after a holiday weekend like Memorial Day or the Fourth of July.
As many states enter the seventh month of mask-wearing and quarantine, the coronavirus continues to spread nationwide.
The disease has infected more than 6.2 million people in the United States, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Of that figure, more than 187,000 people have died.
Anticipating a surge over the holiday weekend, the White House doubled down on the message to practice social distancing and wear masks.
On a phone call earlier this week, Fauci and Vice President Mike Pence asked governors to continue to enforce mask-wearing and social distancing, Bloomberg reported.
Following Fauci's warnings, President Donald Trump on Friday urged people to "remain vigilant" and "apply common sense."
"As we begin Labor Day weekend, America's unprecedented economic recovery continues," Trump said, speaking at a White House briefing.
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