During an Aug. 18 interview with Bloomberg QuickTake, Fauci was asked if it would be worthwhile for some of the red-zone states to go back into lockdown. He said that he believes that it’s unlikely a second quarantine would be necessary even in the most severely affected areas. Instead of championing those states locking down again, Fauci put his faith in the five key safety precautions he’s been urging all Americans to get on board with: wearing a mask, following social distancing practices, avoiding indoor gatherings, keeping away from crowds, and maintaining good hand hygiene. “I would think you don’t need to [lock down again] for so many reasons, because we do know that when you implement the five or so things that I just mentioned that you do see very tangible results of the curves turning around and coming down and the prevention of those [curves] coming up,” he explained.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. While those precautions do take effort and restraint, Fauci noted that lockdown is even harder on states and citizens. “A lockdown obviously with all the psychological and morale destruction that that would do would be tough,” he said. Although Fauci is optimistic that red zone states can avoid this fate, he did not dismiss the possibility entirely. “I mean, you never want to rule anything out that you might have to do, but I’m fairly convinced that we could get to where we want to be without doing that,” he said. He also added that if everyone “pulled together” and “[abided] by the guidelines for opening the country,” states could get out of the red without taking more drastic steps. And to see which states are surging now, check out These 5 States Could Be the Next COVID Hotspots, Researchers Say.
