Fauci says 'absolutely not' to Super Bowl parties
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser on COVID-19 to U.S. President Joe Biden, said people should "absolutely not" host or attend any Super Bowl parties this weekend.
"Watch the Super Bowl on TV, enjoy it, have a party in your house with your family with the people who are there," Fauci told ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos in an interview Wednesday on "Good Morning America."
"You don't want parties with people that you haven't had that much contact with, you just don't know if they're infected," he added. "So as difficult as that is, at least this time around, just lay low and cool it."
Fauci, who is also the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, noted that the country is still seeing a "considerable number of cases" each day and there's cause for concern over the new, more contagious variants of the novel coronavirus that were recently detected on U.S. soil.
When asked whether he thinks the Super Bowl could become a superspreader event, Fauci said he hopes not.
"I believe that they are trying to keep people separated enough in the stands wearing masks so they don't have that proximity," he added. "If you're outdoors and you're several feet apart -- 6, 7, 8, 10 feet -- you could be OK, as long as people abide by that and don't slip."