Fauci and a top Biden COVID-19 advisor make it clear that another US lockdown isn't happening anytime soon

• Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, and Dr. Vivek Murthy, a co-chair of the President-elect Joe Biden's COVID-19 Advisory board, said the US likely won't go into a lockdown soon.
• "[We're] not gonna get a national lockdown, I think that's very clear," Fauci told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.
• Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Murthy said a national lockdown would be "a measure of last resort."
• The US has over 10 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University. Several states across the country have announced restrictions on social gathering and travel.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, and Dr. Vivek Murthy, a co-chair of the President-elect Joe Biden's COVID-19 Advisory board, said that the US likely won't go into a nationwide lockdown.

On Sunday, Fauci said on CNN's "State of the Union" that while it is possible regions will have to get the "functional equivalent of a local lockdown," the US would not go into a nationwide lockdown.

"[We're] not gonna get a national lockdown, I think that's very clear," Fauci told host Jake Tapper.

—State of the Union (@CNNSotu) November 15, 2020

"I believe that we can do it without a lockdown. I really do," Fauci said earlier this week on "Good Morning America"

Murthy on Sunday said a national lockdown would be "a measure of last resort," adding that the "way we think about lockdowns" has changed since early in the pandemic in the spring. Murthy, a top advisor on President-elect Biden's coronavirus task force, said the US should now think of restrictions as "dial that we turn up and down depending on severity."

"The key here," Murthy told Fox News host Chris Wallace, "is applying these restrictions judiciously and precisely."

His statements came after Michael Osterholm, a COVID-19 advisor for Biden, floated the idea of the US carrying out a nationwide lockdown for up to six weeks in an interview with Yahoo Finance. However, Osterholm later clarified to ABC News that he had not discussed this idea with others and that it was unlikely to gain support.

The US has over 10 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and over 240,000 deaths from the disease, according to Johns Hopkins University. Several states across the country including California, New York, and New Mexico, have announced restrictions on social gathering and travel.

• Read more:
• One of Biden's top coronavirus advisors calls for focused restrictions based on disease spread instead of a nationwide lockdown
• A Biden COVID-19 advisor suggested a national lockdown lasting up to 6 weeks, but said the idea was unlikely to gain support
• Fauci says it's 'obvious' that it would be 'better' for public health if Trump facilitated a smooth transition to Biden
• Several states announced tightened travel and gathering restrictions ahead of Thanksgiving as US coronavirus cases surge