Stanford University on Monday rebuked Trump adviser Dr. Scott Atlas, a senior fellow at the school, after he said people should “rise up” against restrictions meant to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
“Stanford’s position on managing the pandemic in our community is clear,” the school said in a statement. “We support using masks, social distancing and conducting surveillance and diagnostic testing. We also believe in the importance of strictly following the guidance of local and state health authorities.”
Dr. Atlas, a senior fellow at the school’s Hoover Institution, “has expressed views that are inconsistent with the university’s approach in response to the pandemic,” Stanford’s statement said.
Stanford also noted Dr. Atlas is on a leave of absence from his senior fellowship position and that his statements “reflect his personal views, not those of the Hoover Institution or the university.”
Dr. Atlas, a radiologist President Trump appointed to the White House Coronavirus Task Force, prompted Stanford to issue the statement after he spoke out against new mitigation efforts in Michigan.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently announced new restrictions meant to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, amid a state- and nationwide wave of infections.
Among the new policies taking effect in Michigan are pausing in-person learning and indoor dining, as well as temporarily shuttering other facilities such as movie theaters, casinos and arenas.
Slamming those measures on social media Sunday, Dr. Atlas posted on the platform Twitter: “The only way this stops is if people rise up. You get what you accept. #FreedomMatters #StepUp.”
COVID-19 is easily spread from person to person, especially indoors, and an alarming spike in new cases being reporter has promoted several states to consider new measures to mitigate the outbreak.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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