Despite selfish swaths of the general American public aimlessly racing toward a return to the normalcies we all took for granted prior to the COVID-19 era, Dr. Anthony Fauci—boss of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and a leading voice of reason—is again cautioning against any assumption that the coming months will magically see a dramatic retreat of the virus.
Addressing international travel restrictions in an interview with the Telegraph on Sunday, Dr. Fauci pointed to the still-troubling infection rates being recorded in multiple areas in the U.S.
"It's going to be really wait and see," he said. "I don't think there's going to be an immediate pullback for those kinds of [travel] restrictions. Looking at what's going on with the infection rate, I think it's more likely measured in months rather than weeks."
Getting a bit more specific, particularly with regards to the possibility of seeing things creep toward full-blown normal anytime soon, Dr. Fauci said he's aiming for such a feat "within a year" but not on the sooner side of that hopeful estimate.
"I would hope to get to some degree of real normality within a year or so," he said. "But I don't think it's this winter or fall."
Fauci also spoke on the widely used idea of a "second wave," which he encouragingly says is "not inevitable" if people are smart.
"It is not inevitable that you will have a so-called 'second wave' in the fall, or even a massive increase, if you approach it in the proper way," he said.
In short, it's imperative—despite what the nearest Trumpee would have you believe—to continue following guidelines on masks and social distancing whenever possible. Rocking a mask, for example, is an undeniably easy gesture that offers peace of mind to those you encounter while also helping reduce the spread of the virus.
