Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Monday said a national lockdown would cause “incredible harm” to the economy and the health of Americans.
Azar was responding to comments by Dr. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, that a lockdown was “not out of the question” and “something that you might have to do but you want to avoid.”
“Well, it’s just unnecessary and it causes incredible harm, not just to the economy, but to human health,” Azar said during an appearance on Fox Business Network’s “Varney & Co.”
“And we have the tools, and Dr. Fauci has talked about this, we have the tools to keep from locking down and that’s washing our hands, watching our distance, wearing our face coverings when we can’t watch our distance.
“But I’d add two more things, Stuart. If you are at risk, that means over 65 or have a serious medical condition, and you get a positive diagnosis, you need to ask your healthcare provider, why are you not putting me on these monoclonal antibody therapies right away? And second, if you are eligible for vaccination, get vaccinated. Those are two things that you can do on top of the three W’s that can help keep our case counts down and keep people from wanting to lock us down again.”
Several states have implemented lockdowns, but President-elect Joe Biden has said he will not pursue a national lockdown. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday announced a national lockdown until at least mid-February to combat a fast-spreading new variant of the coronavirus.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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