I just want to remind everyone of this. The article was written in April so “last month” refers to March:
During one task force meeting in the Situation Room last month, Trump turned to Fauci and challenged him.
It was the day the administration was adding Ireland and the United Kingdom to its travel restrictions, and Trump wanted to understand why talk of “herd immunity” — allowing the coronavirus to sweep a nation largely unchecked, with the belief that those who survived would then be immune — was such a bad idea.
“Why don’t we let this wash over the country?” Trump asked, according to two people familiar with his comments, a question other administration officials say he has raised repeatedly in the Oval Office.
Fauci initially seemed confused by the term “wash over” but became alarmed once he understood what Trump was asking.
“Mr. President, many people would die,” Fauci said.
Honestly, I think this is where we’re headed anyway. The premature opening of certain states without adequate testing means that infected people are going to be traveling all over the country spreading it around again. I just saw a CNN segment that showed a packed plane full of New Yorkers many without masks, crammed into coach. Apparently, that’s not unusual since they’ve curtailed so many flights — they’re filling the planes to capacity.
We are one country whether we like it or not. If infected people are traveling, there is little hope of containing the virus in certain places that are failing to follow the science.
Let’s just hope they come up with some workable treatments and a vaccine more quickly than anticipated.