Surgeon General implores holdout governors to 'give us a week' of restrictions

WASHINGTON - Surgeon General Jerome Adams Sunday called on U.S. governors who haven't issued statewide stay-at-home orders to combat the spread of coronavirus to at least "give us a week" of restrictions as health officials warn of an accelerating rate of infections and deaths.

When asked for his message to those governors who have not yet issued such drastic orders, Adams called on them to follow the administration's guidelines, which include measures like avoiding social gatherings and discretionary travel.

"The next week is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, it's going to be our 9/11 moment, it's going to be the hardest moment for many Americans in their entire lives. And we really need to understand that if we want to flatten that curve and get through to the other side, everyone needs to do their part," he said during an interview on "Meet the Press."

"Ninety percent of Americans are doing their part, even in the states where they haven't had a shelter-in-place. But If you can't give us 30 days, governors, give us a week, give us what you can so that we don't overwhelm our health care systems over this next week, and then let's reassess."

Adams stopped short of calling for a national stay-at-home order, adding that "governors are rightly protective of their ability to determine what's best for their citizens" and that it's up to the experts to give governors "the science to make the best recommendations." But he said that the best way to fight the spread of the virus is to over prepare.

"We are always telling people we would rather prevent disease than treat disease. I tell people we aren't going to treat or supply our way out of this problem, there is no magic bullet or magic cure. It's good old fashioned public health and prevention," Adams said.

There have been at least 8,400 American deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic and at least 309,700 cases in ... (Read more)

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