Fauci: ‘I Can’t Guarantee’ Physical Vote in November Will Be Safe

Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci said he couldn’t “guarantee” that it will be safe for voters to go to polling places in November due to coronavirus pandemic.

Host Jake Tapper asked, “Do you think it will be safe in November for voters to physically go to vote at the polls?”

Fauci said, “I hope so, Jake. I can’t guarantee it. I believe that, if we have a good, measured way of rolling into this, steps towards normality, that we hope, by the time we get to November, that we will be able to do it in a way which is the standard way. However — and I don’t want to be the pessimistic person — there is always the possibility, as that — as we get into next fall, and the beginning of early winter, that we could see a rebound. And, hopefully, hopefully, what we have gone through now, and the capability that we have for much, much better testing capability, much, much better sera surveillance capability, and the ability to respond with countermeasures, with drugs that work, that it will be an entirely different ball game. So, number one, I hope we don’t have a rebound that would make this very difficult as we get into November. But, if we do — and there certainly is a possibility — I’m a realist — it certainly is a possibility — hopefully, we will be able to respond to that rebound in a much more effective way than what we have seen now in January, February, March.”

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