California Republican Rep. Devin Nunes suggested that despite coronavirus concerns, people who feel healthy should go out and patronize local restaurants.
Nunes sat down with “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartiromo to discuss both the continuing spread of the virus and the economic impact thus far.
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Bartiromo began by asking Nunes for his overall assessment of the way the Trump administration had been handling the spread of the virus. (RELATED: ‘Our Job Is To Not Let That Worst Case Scenario Happen’: Dr. Fauci Says Preparation Is Key)
Nunes’ initial response was that people need to “stop panicking.”
“Number one, if you’re sick, at all, be smart. Stay away from people,” Nunes said. “Number two, if you know someone that is senior, or if you have an underlying health condition especially with your lungs, you are at high risk, so we need to focus all of our energy on our senior population with underlying health concerns, and there is no reason, Maria, for the American people to be running to the grocery store to buy 27 packs of toilet paper. Okay?”
Bartiromo laughed as Nunes continued.
Nunes acknowledged then that people were certainly scared, but said that their fear would ultimately take its toll on the economy. “I will just say if you’re healthy, you and your family it’s a great time to just go out and go to a local restaurant, likely you can get in easily,” he said. “Let’s not hurt the working people in this country, that are relying on wages and tips to keep their small business going. Don’t run to the grocery store and buy, you know, $4,000 of food.”
“They are cleaning off the shelves,” Bartiromo nodded.
What neither Nunes nor Bartiromo mentioned was the fact that health experts — including Dr. Anthony Fauci and other members of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus response team — have been advising “social distancing” even for those who feel healthy, because even those who have no symptoms can still carry the virus and potentially expose people whose risk is much higher.
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During CNN’s “State of the Union,” guest host Brianna Keilar discussed those concerns with Fauci, saying, “A new study suggests that it’s young Americans who aren’t really showing the symptoms that could really be spreading this and putting older Americans in jeopardy, more so than we realize.”
