Dr. Anthony Fauci, a prominent member of President Donald Trump's coronavirus response team, said Thursday the nation "really should be" under a blanket stay-at-home order.
At a CNN Town Hall on the coronavirus pandemic that’s now hitting the United States, the stance preferred by Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is in contrast to Trump’s preference to avoid a blanket order.
"I don't understand why that's not happening," Fauci said of the nationwide order. "As you said, the tension between federally mandated versus states rights to do what they want is something I don't want to get into. But if you look at what is going on in this country, I do not understand why we are not doing that. We really should be."
Nearly 40 states have issued such orders to promote social distancing as a way to combat the coronavirus — but the orders vary in strictness and duration.
Trump said Wednesday he is reluctant to slap a stay-at-home order on every state.
"States are different and I understand that the governor of Florida, great Gov. Ron DeSantis issued one today and that's good, that's great. But there are some states that are different. There are some states that don't have much of a problem," Trump said.
The Trump administration has directed Americans to "work or engage in schooling from home whenever possible," to "avoid discretionary travel, shopping trips, and social visits," and to "avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.