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Dr. Anthony Fauci.

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 7, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Americans were told at Monday’s White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing that the country won’t “get back to normal” until a viable coronavirus vaccine is created.  

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, explained that while he wants to get the country back to normal as soon as possible, that won’t happen until authorities can be assured that the population can be kept safe.  

Facuci also indicated that once a vaccine is developed and distributed, the country “will never have to get back to where we are right now,” referring to heavy restrictions on public and private gatherings and on businesses that have been enforced across the nation.  

“If ‘back to normal’ means acting like there never was a coronavirus problem, I don't think that's going to happen until we do have a situation where you can completely protect the population,” said Fauci.  

Dr. Fauci was responding to ABC News White House correspondent Jonathan Karl, who had asked, “You said you wanted to get back to normal as soon as possible. Will we truly get back to normal in this country before there's an actual vaccine that's available to everybody, and how do you start lifting the restrictions?”

“But when we say getting back to normal, we mean something very different from what we're going through right now,” continued Fauci. “Because right now, we're in a very intense mitigation.”

“When we get back to normal, we will go back gradually to the point where we can function as a society,” he said. “But you're absolutely right. If you want to get to pre-coronavirus, that might not ever happen in the sense that the fact that the threat is there.” 

“But I believe (that) with the therapies that will be coming online, and with the fact that I feel confident that over a period of time we will get a good vaccine, that we will never have to get back to where we are right now,” he added. 

As of noon Tuesday, 380,000 coronavirus cases had been reported in the United States and 11,900 deaths attributed to the virus.  

The bustling American economy has been straight-jacketed, with countless businesses forced to close their doors due to social distancing requirements. President Donald Trump signed into law a $2 trillion coronavirus spending bill meant to temporarily shore up the economy, and last week 10 million Americans filed for unemployment. 

From sea to shining sea, churches and all other places of worship have been shut down, as has access to the sacraments for Catholics.  

Although America looks starkly different from what it did at the beginning of the year,  President Trump has offered Americans hope.

“There’s tremendous light at the end of the tunnel,” he promised.

“Currently, 10 different therapeutic agents are in active trials and some are looking incredibly successful,” the President said. “But they have to go through a process and it’s going to be a quick process based on what the FDA told me.”