Dr. Deborah Birx, the U.S. coronavirus response coordinator, urged the public to maintain social distancing as many Americans hit the road and flock to beaches over Memorial Day weekend amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve made it clear that there is asymptomatic spread, and that means that people are spreading the virus unknowingly,” Dr. Birx said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“We really want to be clear all the time that social distancing is absolutely critical and if you can’t social distance and you’re outside, you must wear a mask,” she said.
Dr. Stephen Hahn, the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, also said on Sunday that measures like social distancing, hand washing, and wearing masks “protect us all.”
“With the country starting to open up this holiday weekend, I again remind everyone that the coronavirus is not yet contained,” Dr. Hahn said on Twitter. “It is up to every individual to protect themselves and their community.”
All 50 states have moved to relax coronavirus-related restrictions as trends on cases and deaths have improved in many spots.
There are now more than 1.6 million positive cases and more than 96,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the U.S., according to a tracker from Johns Hopkins University.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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