One year ago today, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on NBC’s Today show that there was “no need” to make any lifestyle changes to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
“We’re having now what’s called the beginnings of community spread,” Fauci said. “And that’s one of the things that one needs to be concerned about, because when you have community spread it becomes more difficult to track down what the original source was.” (RELATED: ‘Open Season’ — Fauci Predicts All Americans, Not Just At-Risk People, Will Have Vaccine Access By Late April)
Fauci one year ago (Leap Day 2020): “We’re having now the beginnings of what is called community spread…” [Anchor: “Should we be changing our habits?”] “No. Right now at this moment there is no need to change anything you’re doing on a day-by-day basis.”https://t.co/yOSRc3naTa
— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) March 1, 2021
Fauci said that community spread makes it harder to control the coronavirus because it’s difficult to find where the source of the infection is and isolate that person. He also pointed out that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was making coronavirus tests more available to the public.
When asked if people should be changing their habits, Fauci responded that “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,” he continued. “I’ve said that many times, even on this program. You’ve got to watch out, because even though 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.”
Fauci has since changed his tune, discouraging Americans from gatherings, parties, holiday celebrations and travel. He has repeatedly warned about the possibility of spikes in coronavirus cases following holidays or other events where people typically gather with family and friends. Recently, Fauci said that masks could still be around going into 2022.