Dr. Deborah Birx doesn’t expect normal social interaction to resume before the fall.
Vice President Mike Pence said during a press conference on Friday that many of the coronavirus social distancing policies could be “behind us” by Memorial Day in late May. But Birx, who is the coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, doubted Pence’s timeline.
“Social distancing will be with us through the summer to really ensure that we protect one another as we move through these phases,” Birx explained during Sunday’s Meet the Press on NBC.
She noted that different parts of the United States have had very different outbreaks to manage. While New York City is responsible for 45% of the coronavirus cases in the country, other metro areas that were hit with outbreaks early on have gotten them under control, such as the Seattle area.
Some states have already begun to reopen. On Friday, Georgia allowed many businesses, including hair salons and gyms, to reopen, while some movie theaters and restaurants will be allowed to resume limited in-person services on Monday.
