Fauci tells Congress U.S. outbreak not yet under control

Fauci tells Congress U.S. outbreak not yet under control

Leading U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci on Tuesday warned Congress that a premature lifting of lockdowns could lead to additional outbreaks of the deadly coronavirus, which has killed 80,000 Americans and brought the economy to its knees.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a U.S. Senate panel that the virus epidemic is not yet under control in areas of the nation.

"I think we're going in the right direction, but the right direction does not mean we have by any means total control of this outbreak," Fauci said during hours of testimony.

He urged states to follow health experts' recommendations to wait for signs including a declining number of new infections before reopening.

President Donald Trump has been encouraging states to end a weeks-long shuttering of major components of their economies.

But senators heard a sobering assessment from Fauci, when asked by Democrats about a premature opening of the economy.

Fauci also clashed with a Republican Senator Rand Paul on Tuesday about when to reopen U.S. schools, acknowledging he did not have the final word on pandemic-related decisions but warning against being "cavalier" about the danger to children.

"I think we'd better be careful that we are not cavalier in thinking that children are completely immune to the deleterious effects." Fauci referred to a rare inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to the novel coronavirus, which has killed at least three children in New York and afflicted dozens more.