Dr. Anthony Fauci said it could be the end of the year 2021 before life can return to normal pre-COVID-19.
You may notice your local salon is reopening at limited capacity, or hear the news of movie theaters, gyms, and malls reopening as well. The signs of daily life returning to what it was won’t be seen until the end of 2021.
Fauci, who is the Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke to MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell where he said he remains “confident” there will be a coronavirus vaccine available to the United States by the end of this year or as early as 2021.
“But by the time you mobilize the distribution of the vaccine and get a majority or more of the population vaccinated and protected, that’s likely not going to happen until the end of 2021,” he said. “If you’re talking about getting back to a degree of normality prior to COVID, it’s going to be well into 2021, towards the end of 2021.”
Fauci also expressed concern about the states that are allowing indoor activities to resume once more. This comes as NBC News reports that the U.S. is at 40,000 new cases and 1000 deaths per day.
“Being indoors absolutely increases the risk” of transmission, Fauci said. “I am concerned when I see things starting indoors, and that becomes more compelling when you move into fall and winter season.”
Earlier in the week, New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that restaurants will reopen Sept 30. at only 25 percent capacity. November is when restaurants in NY will allow 50 percent capacity for indoor dining.
Miami-Dade restaurants were allowed to reopen back in August at 50 percent capacity.
