“I think the issue is more the speed of the reopening and how you reopened,” Gottlieb said in a recent interview with American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a public policy think tank where he is a resident fellow. “You could have reopened early but reopened more deliberately and left certain things shut [down] along a period of time.” Gottlieb pointed to bars as one business that reopened too quickly, along with casinos and other popular gathering spots. “Should we have reopened bars? No, we shouldn’t have,” Gottlieb said. “We should keep certain indoor congress settings that are purely for entertainment closed in perpetuity until we can figure out whether we have control.” This concern echoes that of Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), who has continuously cautioned about the high risks of crowded and poorly ventilated areas like restaurants and bars. He suggested in a July interview with InStyle that states seeing surges “pause in the opening and maybe even take a step back in our phases,” such as closing bars.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Gottlieb said state and federal policies should focus on getting essential businesses and operations back up and running before trying to rebuild the hospitality and entertainment industries. “The priority should be trying to open the schools and do other things that are more important from a social standpoint,” he said. And for more risks to be aware of, check out 24 Things You’re Doing Every Day That Put You at COVID Risk.
