Vice President Mike Pence advised people worried about the coronavirus to be proactive about protecting themselves from infection.
Pence spoke during Friday’s briefing by the White House coronavirus task force, which he is leading, about the federal government’s actions to contain the pandemic.
“Do not be afraid, be vigilant,” Pence said. “All the experts tell us that the risk of serious illness to the average American for the coronavirus is low, but we need every American to put into practice the president’s coronavirus guidelines.”
President Trump advised citizens to avoid meeting in groups larger than 10 people and to avoid sitting down in restaurants and to use drive-thrus instead. Trump said on Friday that he did not believe a national lockdown was necessary, but he did praise the efforts of the governors of California and New York for “effectively” locking down their states where coronavirus outbreaks have been particularly widespread.
There are about 14,600 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, 210 people have died from the disease, and 121 people have recovered, according to the latest reading of the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
