US official ‘very concerned’ by Memorial Day gatherings

White House coronavirus task force coordinator Deborah Birx says she’s “very concerned” that people going outdoors for the Memorial Day weekend are not maintaining six feet of social distancing.

She is responding to reports showing people crowding at beaches.

Noting that people with no symptoms could unwittingly spread the coronavirus, Birx says people need to wear masks in public if they do not socially distance because “you don’t know who’s infected.”

As states loosen stay-at-home orders, Birx also declines to say whether the country may need to close down again if the US is hit by a second wave of infections in the fall. US President Donald Trump insisted last week “we are not closing” again.

On Sunday, Birx says: “We’re trying to understand during this period of coming out of the closure: How do we maintain openness and safety? And I think that’s what we’re going to be learning through May, June and July.”

She is speaking on “Fox News Sunday” and ABC’s “This Week.”

AP

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