Deborah Birx: ‘Difficult to tell’ if U.S. will need another shutdown

Dr. Deborah Birx, the U.S. coronavirus response coordinator, on Sunday said it’s an open question as to whether the country will need to shut down again if there’s another spike in coronavirus cases in the coming months.

“It’s difficult to tell, and I really am data-driven so I’m collecting data right now about whether governors and whether states and whether communities are able to open safely,” Dr. Birx said on ABC’s “This Week.”

She said officials will be learning more through May, June, and July and are preparing for a potential resurgence in the fall.

“I think we’re trying to learn right now very carefully about how you reopen safely. We act like we’ve actually done this before,” she said.

She said the country needs to do a better job with applying coronavirus testing so that asymptomatic cases are detected.

“All of this proactive testing needs to be in place and needs to continue to be in place because that will determine safely remaining open in the fall,” she said.

President Trump, who has been itching for the country to reopen, suggested last week that there won’t be a return to the virus-related lockdowns even in the event of another wave.

“We’re going to put out the fires. We’re not going to close the country,” he said. “Whether it’s an ember or a flame, we’re going to put it out. But we’re not closing our country.”