Birx says curve makes it clear not all Americans are following social distancing guidelines

Deborah Birx.
(Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's coronavirus response coordinator, emphasized on Thursday how important it is for all Americans to practice social distancing, saying this is the best way to slow down the spread of coronavirus.

It's not enough to use masks, Birx said during a press conference, and even small gatherings of just a few people need to be avoided. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues to rise, and Birx said it is imperative that "we change that slope. We have to change the logarithmic curve that we're on. We see country after country having done that, what it means in the United States is not everyone is doing it."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.