Declaring that the “COVID risk to all Americans is at a historic high,” this week’s White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing for governors warns that everyone over the age of 65 or with significant health conditions “should not enter any indoor public spaces where anyone is unmasked.” It further declares that all Americans under 40 should “assume you became infected” if Thanksgiving involved anyone outside immediate family, with the blunt statement, “[Y]ou are dangerous to others and you must isolate away from anyone at increased risk for severe disease and get tested immediately.”
The document and its stark warnings, obtained by ABC News, was only shared with governors — not with the American people — and contradicts the White House’s continuing public stance of largely downplaying the COVID-19 risk to Americans.
“The COVID risk to all Americans is at a historic high,” the document states. “We are in a very dangerous place due to the current, extremely high COVID baseline and limited hospital capacity; a further post-Thanksgiving surge will compromise COVID patient care, as well as medical care overall.”