Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx held a private conference with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, along with the governors of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana to warn them that the transmissions rates of COVID-19 in their states are starting to pick up. Fauci told ABC News the states are seeing an increase in the rate of positive tests and if they don't lower the transmission rates, they could see an outbreak similar to what many southern states are experiencing.
That's "a surefire hint that you may be getting into the same sort of trouble with those states that the southern states got into trouble with," Fauci said.
Fauci said that he and Birx told the governors they need to stress the importance of wearing masks and following social distancing guidelines to their residents. They said that people must continue to avoid large crowds and stay away from bars.
"If we do that, hopefully, we'll prevent multiple other states from becoming just like the southern states," he said.
A recent report compiled by the White House coronavirus task force warned that 21 states are in the "red zone," which means they are reporting 100 new cases per 100,000 people, or more than ten percent of virus tests come back positive. Of those 21 states, 17 have not followed all of the recommendations from the task force.