Nebraska and Iowa Have Taken Actions ‘Functionally Equivalent’ to Stay at Home Orders: Fauci

Dr. Anthony Fauci answers a question during a press conference as members of the administration look on, at the White House in Washington, on March 2, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Two of the eight states without stay at home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic have taken a number of actions that are similar to orders issued in other states, a top federal health official said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said his comments last week about a national stay at home order stoked a public response against states without a shelter in place mandate.

“When I mentioned that, I think there was a public response that they weren’t really doing anything at all. And they really are doing a very good job,” Fauci told reporters on Monday night at the White House in Washington.

Fauci spoke with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts earlier in the day.

“Those are the only two that I spoke to [out of the eight]. But it was a really good conversation. I want to make sure people understand that just because they don’t have a very strict stay-at-home order, they have in place a lot of things that are totally compatible with what everyone else is doing,” Fauci emphasized.

“Even though they have not given a strict stay-at-home—what they are doing is really functionally equivalent to that.”

Reynolds said Monday night that she had a good conversation with Fauci. After his comments last week, Reynolds said the doctor might not know everything about the situations in each state.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds waves after speaking during a ceremonial swearing-in at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa, on May 24, 2017. (Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo)

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts speaks to President Donald Trump during a meeting on trade with governors and members of Congress at the White House in Washington on April 12, 2018. (Chris Kleponis - Pool/Getty Images)

“You can’t just look at a map and assume no action has been taken. That is completely false,” she said at a press conference, listing steps she had ordered since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in the state on March 8. Officials have closed schools, mandated the closure of some so-called non-essential businesses, and told people not to gather in groups of 11 or more.

“If you did a side by side comparison with what we are doing in Iowa and what states are doing, they are much the same.”

Ricketts said in a statement on Monday that he and Fauci are “on the same page” when it comes to responding to COVID-19.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

President Donald Trump has supported governors taking actions they think are best. While some states might not have an actual stay at home order, residents of the states are practicing social distancing, according to the president.

“They’re doing a fantastic job. Take a look at where they are, in terms of levels,” he told reporters late Monday.

Many of the states without stay at home orders have low case numbers and deaths. Some, including Wyoming, have zero deaths.

“I'd love not to get involved with that and not from a legal standpoint, just a moral, constitutional standpoint. Because legally, I can, but morally, I believe in our constitution,” Trump added.

“I'd love to be able to let the governors do what they have to do.”