Bars are ‘bad news,’ Fauci says as states see coronavirus cases soar

Stop going to bars during the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci said.

Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a Senate health committee hearing on Tuesday that bars are “bad news,” NBC Washington reported.

“Bars: really not good, really not good,” Fauci said, according to CNN. “Congregation at a bar, inside, is bad news. We really have got to stop that.”

Coronavirus cases across the country have spiked in recent weeks as states begin to reopen. In many states, bar-goers have spread the virus, according to reports.

In Florida, 16 people went to a bar for a friend’s birthday and all tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Miami Herald. More than 100 coronavirus cases were linked to a popular college town bar that reopened in Michigan, McClatchy News reported.

Several bars in Boise, Idaho, were also connected to the state’s number of reported coronavirus cases, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Some counties in California have shut bars down again after cases were popping up, according to The Sacramento Bee. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also ordered bars and nightclubs to close across the state, The Denver Channel reported.

Fauci suggested there are safer ways to socialize with friends and family than going to a bar, such as meeting in an outdoor space and keeping a safe distance from others, Business Insider reported.

“You can get outdoors, you can interact, wear a mask, try to avoid the close congregation of people, wash your hands often, but don’t just make it all or none,” Fauci said, according to the news outlet. “We’ve got to be able to get people to get out and enjoy themselves within the safe guidelines that we have.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2020 at 3:09 PM with the headline "Bars are ‘bad news,’ Fauci says as states see coronavirus cases soar."