Fauci says White House COVID-19 infections could have been prevented

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S. June 30, 2020. (Al Drago/Pool via REUTERS)

Top U.S. infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, whose advocacy of public health guidelines to fight the coronavirus has conflicted with President Donald Trump’s downplaying of the pandemic, said on Tuesday the recent rash of infections at the White House could have been prevented.

“Take a look at what happened this week at the White House,” Fauci said in an interview with American University’s Kennedy Political Union, “That is a reality, right there. And every day that goes by more people are popping up that are infected. It’s not a hoax. It’s an unfortunate situation when you see something like that because that could have been prevented,” Fauci said.

Fauci has been an advocate of wearing masks to prevent the spread.