After he spent all yesterday walking back comments by the L.A. County Public Health Director, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti waded right back into controversy today.
In an interview about L.A.’s coronavirus efforts on Good Morning America on Wednesday, the mayor asserted that the city will “never be completely open until we have a cure.”
When might we have a vaccine?
Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci told the Senate on Tuesday that a vaccine would not be ready before school starts in the fall. He said a more likely timeline for such a breakthrough would be within a year or two.
“I think we have to all recognize that we’re not moving beyond COVID-19, we’re learning to live with it,” said Garcetti on Wednesday.
With regard to wearing face masks, physical distancing and staying at home whenever possible, Garcetti said, “We can’t expect that to disappear in a matter of weeks, or even a few months.”
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Garcetti doubled down on those sentiments in a quote he pinned at the top of his Twitter profile.
Everyone wants to know when life will go back to normal. The truth is we’re not moving past COVID-19, we’re learning to live with it and take gradual steps forward. Our Safer at Home order will remain beyond May 15, but will be adjusted to let more people get back to work safely.
— MayorOfLA (@MayorOfLA) May 13, 2020
That sounds a lot like controversial comments by Los Angeles County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer yesterday.
“I do think recovery will be months-long,” Ferrer said on Tuesday, “based on the tools we have at hand today.”
She stressed that, “with all certainty,” the stay-at-home order set to expire at the end of this week will be expanded all the way to August.
Ferrer issued a clarification on Tuesday and then apologized for those remarks on Wednesday after a furor erupted.
Mayor Garcetti, for his part, went on CNN twice yesterday to address the controversy caused by Dr. Ferrer’s statements.
Today might have been one interview too many.
