5 simple steps to avoid a shutdown

On last week’s CNN Town Hall, “Coronavirus: Facts and Fears,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said a shutdown isn’t necessary if we do just five things: Wear a mask Maintain physical distance Avoid or close bars Stay away from large gatherings Wash hands “Those are five, not rocket science things, that one can do,” said Fauci said. “We know when you do that, and states that have done that, they have flattened the surging curve and are starting to come down.” These are vital steps for us to all follow, considering there are now more than 4.7 million infections and more than 155,000 deaths from this virus in the United States.  Yet, people continue to gather in large groups -- and that spreads the virus. For example, 43 cases have been linked to a house party in Michigan earlier this month. Most of the cases are in people between 15-25 years old. Last week, it took police more than five hours to break up a house party in New Jersey with about 700 guests. These kind of events can be the super-spreader type events that make it so much more difficult for us to get a handle on the pandemic. As I’ve said from the beginning of this pandemic: Act like you have the virus, avoid gatherings, keep your distance and use a mask. We are all in this together, and can get this pandemic under control if we work together.