Fauci warns protesters about dangers of ending lockdowns prematurely: 'it's going to backfire'

Dr. Anthony Fauci is warning about the dangers of reopening the United States too quickly in a message to those protesting stay-at-home orders. Fauci, head of the National Institute of

Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of President Trump's coronavirus task force, appeared on _Good Morning America_ on Monday after protests in some cities against stay-at-home

orders; at one in Texas, video captured protesters calling for Fauci to be fired. Polls, however, have found that more Americans are worried about restrictions being loosened too soon than

not soon enough. Asked for his message to those protesting, Fauci told ABC, "The message is that clearly this is something that is hurting from the standpoint of economics ... but

unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery, economically, is not going to happen." SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus

analysis from multiple perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE SIGN UP FOR THE WEEK'S FREE NEWSLETTERS From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The

Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. Fauci went on to stress the

importance of a gradual reopening. "If you jump the gun, and go into a situation where you have a big spike, you're going to set yourself back," he said. "So as painful

as it is to go by the careful guidelines of gradually phasing into a reopening — it's going to backfire. That's the problem." These comments come after President Trump on

Friday appeared to express support for stay-at-home protesters in some states on Twitter. During a White House briefing on Sunday, Trump said those protesting stay-at-home orders have

"cabin fever" and "want their life back." Brendan Morrow Explore More Speed Reads