Dr. Deborah Birx warned that citizens in rural areas need to be just as concerned about the spread of the coronavirus as those living in major cities.
Birx, who is the coordinating doctor for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, told CNN on Sunday that the United States has entered a “new phase” of the COVID-19 pandemic in which people in all parts of the country need to be worried about the virus spreading.
“We are in a new phase,” Birx said, adding, “I want to be very clear. What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread. It’s into the rural as equal urban areas. And to everybody who lives in a rural area, you are not immune or protected from this virus.”
“And that’s why we keep saying no matter where you live in America, you need to wear a mask and socially distance. Do the personal hygiene pieces, but more importantly, if you’re in multigenerational households, and there’s an outbreak in your rural area or in your city, you need to really consider wearing a mask at home, assuming that you’re positive if you have individuals in your households with comorbidities. This epidemic right now is different, and it’s more widespread, and it’s both rural and urban,” she said.
Birx warned that people need to stop side-stepping regulations by attending house parties when bars and other events are closed.
“If we still are going to parties at home even though the bars are closed, if we’re creating interactions where we know it’s not safe because there’s multiple people there and you don’t have masks on and you’re not socially distanced, you can assume it’s not super-spreading individuals, it’s super-spreading events,” she said.
