The White House Coronavirus Task Force warned Americans this week that they should assume they caught the coronavirus over Thanksgiving and that they are now “dangerous to others.”
In a report distributed to state leaders, but not released publicly, the task force urged state governments to crack down on coronavirus restrictions and encourage Americans not to leave their homes and to have groceries and medications delivered if possible.
“It must be made clear that if you are over 65 or have significant health conditions, you should not enter any indoor public spaces where anyone is unmasked due to the immediate risk to your health,” the report, obtained by ABC News, states.
“If you are under 40, you need to assume you became infected during the Thanksgiving period if you gathered beyond your immediate household,” the task force continued.
“Most likely, you will not have symptoms,” it continued; “however, you are dangerous to others and you must isolate away from anyone at increased risk for severe disease and get tested immediately.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading health expert on the White House Coronavirus Task Force, called on Americans to cancel their Thanksgiving plans to prevent the spread of the virus, and reiterated his demand as Christmas approaches.
“What you don’t want to see is another spike in cases that we get, [as it gets] colder and colder into December, and then you start dealing with the Christmas holiday,” Fauci said.
“We can really be in a very difficult situation,” he said. “So you want to tell people to please seriously consider decisions that you make.”
The White House’s report also suggests local and state leaders who have not tightened coronavirus restrictions are making the situation worse.
“If state and local policies to not reflect the seriousness of the current situation, all public health officials must alert the state population directly,” it reads.
