Pouch: "The Time to Gradually Return to Daily Life"

Anthony Fauci, Director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] As the United States prepares to coexist with COVID-19, Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said on the 16th (local time) that "it is time to gradually return to normal life."

In an interview with foreign media on the same day, Fauci said, "State governments face a difficult choice in balancing protecting citizens from infection and the increasing fatigue from the pandemic that has lasted for three years."

He said, "There is no perfect answer," adding, "It is true that the world, the U.S., and some parts of the U.S. have COVID-19 and that there is a need to return to normal life." He continued, "I do not want to recklessly throw everything away, but we need to start moving little by little toward recovery of normal life."

U.S. health officials earlier said that new guidelines are being prepared as the spread of Omicron slows down in the U.S. States such as New Jersey, New York, California, Connecticut, Delaware, and Oregon have announced plans to lift mask mandates within weeks.

Fauci said, "Revised policies in some states may have conflicting effects and may involve some unnecessary infections," but added, "Strictly following stringent preventive policies can also be harmful."

He further stated, "If you ask whether it affects mental health, child development, schools, or whether it balances efforts to protect against infection, my answer is that 'I do not have the correct answer'."

Meanwhile, the recent average daily number of confirmed cases in the U.S. over the past week was about 147,000, a 40% decrease compared to the previous week. Hospitalizations also decreased by 28%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.