U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams warned Monday that the coronavirus outbreak will worsen this week and said that people are not taking the threat seriously enough.
Adams reiterated an urgent call for Americans to follow recommendations to stay at home in order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
“I want America to understand this week, it’s going to get bad,” Adams said in an interview on the “TODAY” show. “Right now, there are not enough people out there who are taking this seriously.”
"This week, it's going to get bad. … We really, really need everyone to stay at home."
Watch @Surgeon_General's full interview with @savannahguthrie. pic.twitter.com/azmKJ6hfSY
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 23, 2020
Adams specifically called out people going to beaches and the crowds looking at the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. “The District set up a cam[era] for people to look at the cherry blossoms,” Adams said, “and you look at the cam and you see more people walking around than cherry blossoms.
“This is how the spread is occurring,” he added. “Really, really, really … everyone should stay home. I think there are a lot of people that are doing the right things. I think unfortunately we’re finding out a lot of people think this can’t happen to them.”
