White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx stressed the importance of following state and local guidelines when asked about protesters defying stay-at-home orders, during an interview on ABC News Sunday morning.
After playing a clip of protesters in Austin, Texas shouting “fire Fauci,” ABC News’ George Stephanopolous asked Birx what her message is to them.
“Well, first, Dr. Fauci and I have had a strong partnership for over 30-plus years,” Birx said. “And we’ve been telling the American people all along that they need to really follow state and local guidelines, and they themselves need to be educated and knowledgeable about this virus.”
Birx then said that following guidelines ensures that people are protecting both themselves and each other, before urging states to “do a great job” of communicating in local communities due to how “every community is different.”
Birx went on to praise Florida’s public health side for “doing an extraordinary job keeping their communities informed day by day about where the virus is, where the new cases are.”
“I think bringing knowledge to the community is what is going to be critical in ensuring that we get not only through this phase, but the other three phases, and prevent a future outbreak if the virus comes back in the fall,” Birx said.
Watch Birx’s remarks below:
.@Gstephanopoulos: "What is your message to these protesters out there right now?"
Dr. Deborah Birx: "We've been telling the American people all along that they need to really follow state and local guidelines." https://t.co/Gb3b2AHVMD pic.twitter.com/oKp1aiNhKR
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 19, 2020
