Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Sunday that the
Coronavirus outbreak hasn't been "contained yet," but he did tell CBS' Margaret Brennan that he believes there will be a "seasonal effect" that may allow Americans to "enjoy some semblance of the lives they want to enjoy" particularly in the summer months of July and August as cases go down. Of course, people will need to continue practicing good hygiene and modified social distancing.That said, he also anticipates that the virus will continue to circulate and eventually present a risk of causing epidemics in certain places in the U.S. during the fall and winter, so whatever reprieve comes in the summer may be short-lived.
As for what happens during that potential resurgence in the fall? Dr. Deborah Birx, one of the prominent members of the
White House coronavirus task force, said it's "difficult to tell" if the U.S.
economy will have to shut down in similar
fashion again, but she said the government is trying to learn how to keeping things open safely. She said that "proactive" testing, including testing asymptomatic people, will prove key in developing a coherent strategy.