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The Biden administration’s coronavirus task force said it disagreed with states that have started easing restrictions as cases begin to drop from the all-time high endured last month , warning at a White House briefing with reporters Monday that the increased risk of variants spreading across the country are reasons to maintain those restrictions, not weaken them.
States like New York and Massachusetts recently rolled back some stricter restrictions imposed during the winter months, such as banning all dining indoors. And in a more extreme case, the governor of Iowa repealed the mask’s statewide mandate.
But it’s important to note that the United States has been here before, experts said, especially during the summer when states lifted their restrictions, reopening after lockdowns and causing another spike. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky, Chief Medical Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci and Coronavirus Advisor Andy Slavitt made it clear in Monday’s briefing that they were encouraging states to stop borrowing this way.
“We have not yet brought this pandemic under control. We still have this emerging threat of variants, and I would just discourage any of those activities, “Walensky said of loosening the restrictions.” We really have to keep all of the mitigation in play here if we’re really going to take control. of this pandemic. “
She urged all Americans to “remain vigilant” as cases and hospital admissions decline – noting that the country still registers more than 100,000 cases per day and far more hospitalizations per day than has been reported during the summer peak.
“We continue to monitor this data closely, and while hospital admissions and cases are steadily declining, I ask everyone to please remain vigilant. The continued proliferation of variants remains of great concern and poses a threat that could reverse the recent positive trends we are seeing, ”Walensky said.
As of February 7, 699 cases of variants have been confirmed in 34 states. Of those cases, 690 are the B-117 variant, the variant first reported in the UK, Walensky said. It is estimated that many more cases of variants are already here, but most test centers don’t do the kind of detailed sequencing required to find variants. Walensky said that in the past three weeks, the CDC has increased surveillance for variants tenfold and aims to increase another three or four.
Walensky said it was important to carry a pole, stay 6 feet away, and avoid travel, crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. The public should also “get vaccinated when they are available to you. I agree that the pandemic has taken its toll on all of us. But if we all work together and take these preventative measures, we can finally turn the tide,” Walensky said.
“Highlighting what Dr Walensky just said, the two things we can do are A, make sure we adhere to the public health measures Dr Walensky just mentioned, and B, get as many people vaccinated as possible.” . It’s the best defense against changing variants, ”said Fauci.
Asked specifically what the White House was doing to pressure states not to relax their guidelines, Slavitt and Walensky did not have concrete policy steps, saying they had been clear with states and were in constant communication to try to guide their decisions with data.
“I’ll just say that I think our position on this is pretty well established. We see at least one weekly governors call and I have been in one-on-one contact with many governors already, so I am doing my best and happy to do more to encourage states to reduce the spread of their community so that we can decrease the threat of these variants, decrease our hospitalizations and bring this pandemic under control, ”Walensky said.
Slavitt added that they understand the pressure states are under pressure to reopen.
“And the only thing I’ll add to that is, you know, we understand the pressures that governors are put on. We take a collaborative approach as much as possible, sharing data with them, helping them understand, as we explained in this call, why we are in such a critical time to fight the virus and hope to continue working for persuade and partner with states and communities to continue to follow sensible public health measures, ”he said.
Massachusetts, Iowa and New York are among the states easing COVID restrictions this week. In Massachusetts, businesses, including restaurants, gyms and convenience services, are allowed to operate at 40 percent of capacity as of Monday, WCVB reported. These companies had been limited to 25% of their capacity.
In New York City, restaurants will be allowed indoors from Friday at 25% capacity, Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed on Monday. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds lifted the state’s mask mandate on Sunday.
Alexandra Svokos of ABC News contributed to this report.
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