Anthony Fauci, White House Coronavirus Advisor, stated that he would have “much more strict restrictions” from the start of the pandemic if he had the chance to do so.
Fauci said Monday that if he knew what he knows now in 2020, he would have done a lot different. “The insidious nature and spread of the disease in the community would have been a much greater alarm. There would have been much stricter regulations in terms of encouraging people to wear masks, distancing themselves, or whatever else.
These remarks were made by Fauci during an interview. AscendingThe news program I host with my cohost, The Hill. Fauci acknowledged that it was not possible to prevent transmission of COVID-19 by wearing cloth masks indoors as a result of being asked about mask mandates.
Fauci stated, “Right now we know that masks work to prevent acquisition and transmission.” But you need to make sure that the mask is well fitted and of high quality. We know that N95 and KN95 are both high-quality masks.
Fauci also disputed the term “gain of function” in a conversation about whether it is necessary for the U.S. government to fund the kind of research that many experts worry might have produced—or might one day produce—a pandemic on the level of COVID-19. The full interview can be viewed here.