Dr. Fauci on coronavirus fears: ‘Risk is low, no need to change lifestyle yet. Malls, movie theaters, gyms okay’ (February 29 Video)

Yesterday, we published a story about two statements made by Dr. Anthony Fauci back in January. In a January 21 interview, when asked about how deadly the coronavirus is and if Americans should be worried, Dr. Fauci responded: “This is not a major threat for the people in United States, and this is not something the citizens of the United States right now should be worried about.” However, in another interview over the weekend, Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, responded to the critics and said: he was “deceived” and “misinformed” by China and WHO.

That would have put the whole issue to rest until one of our readers pointed us to a Saturday, February 29 appearance on the NBC’s Today Show, when Dr. Fauci was asked if Americans should stop enjoying their daily routines. Fauci answered point blank, “No.” In an article titled “Dr. Fauci on coronavirus fears: No need to change lifestyle yet,” Dr. Fauci answered several questions about how Americans should respond to the coronavirus.

So as late as February 29, Dr. Fauci was telling Americans it was okay to engage in three of the most risk-for-infection behaviors imaginable: crowded malls, crowded movie theaters, and sweaty gyms.

Below is a transcript of Dr. Fauci on NBC Today Show. The interview took place on February 29, 2020.

TODAY SHOW: So Dr. Fauci, it’s Saturday morning in America, people are waking up right now with real concerns about this; they want to go to malls, and movies, maybe the gym, as well. Should we be changing our habits, and if so, how?

FAUCI: No. Right now at this moment, there is no need to change anything that you’re doing on a day-by-day basis. Right now the risk is still low, but this could change. I’ve said that many times, even on this program. You got watch out, because although the risk is low now, you don’t need to change anything you’re doing. When you start to see community spread, this could change, and force you to become much more attentive to doing things that would protect you from, spread.

Your can watch the video below or watch it directly to Today’s website