Dr. Anthony Fauci on Face The Nation: “Personally, I wouldn't go to a restaurant”
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From the March 15, 2020, edition of CBS' Face the Nation
MARGARET BRENNAN (ANCHOR): The president indicated that he is looking at travel restrictions, including within the country. Should Americans get on a plane right now?
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI (NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH): Well, it depends on what the reason for getting on a plane -- anything in my mind, particularly if you are a person who's elderly or falls within the category of underlying conditions -- you really should think twice before putting yourself in a situation where you're in a crowded place for an extended period of time.
BRENNAN: You wouldn't get on a plane?
FAUCI: Right now, me -- there are a number of reasons why I wouldn't get on a plane. But if I were not doing the job that I'm doing, because of my age, I would very seriously think about not doing any travel like that.
BRENNAN: Should Americans get up and go to the office tomorrow?
FAUCI: Well, you know, it depends on the situation that you're in. To the extent possible, teleworking should be done, to the extent that you can do it. I mean, there are some jobs you can't telework. Let's be real. But if you can, you should. You should avoid crowded places, and that's the things that we've been talking about all along right now. The CDC has a nice website. You go in, you talk about the different kinds of mitigations at different levels of involvement.
BRENNAN: Don't go to crowded places. France is trying to close down restaurants and cafes and bars.
FAUCI: Right. Exactly, yeah.
BRENNAN: Should that happen here in the United States?
FAUCI: You know, every single day we meet with the task force and we take a look at what's going on. And you don't want to make a pronouncement that no one should ever go into a restaurant. I mean, I think that might be overkill right now. But everything is on the table. It may come to the situation where we strongly recommend. Right now, myself personally, I wouldn't go to a restaurant. I just wouldn't, because I don't want to be in a crowded place. I have an important job to do, I don't want to be in a situation where I'm going to be all of a sudden self-isolating for 14 days.