One-on-one with Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams

WASHINGTON (SBG) - One of the experts helping lead the fight against the coronavirus is U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, who is tasked with providing Americans the best scientific information possible. He oversees thousands of healthcare professionals and advises President Donald Trump.

As the President said, some states that have shown enough progress can start to reopen. But some people have interpreted that in different, and possibly dangerous, ways.

Sinclair's Chief Political Correspondent, Scott Thuman, talked with Dr. Adams on Monday about his concerns. Here is part of their exchange.

Scott Thuman: “Do you worry that even that chatter of moving on through a phase one, two, three mentally allows some people to say, oh, i can relax the rules a little bit?”

Dr. Adams: “Well, to be perfectly honest with you, that is going to be a worry, but that is going to happen whenever we decide to reopen and so we have to make sure we’re messaging to people, this is a thought process we're going through right now, this doesn’t mean go out there and shoot hoops, this doesn't mean go back out and get together in these large gatherings.”

Adams says there's a fine line between mitigating any dangers and moving toward a freer future. That's something being demanded right now in protests across the United States.

Scott Thuman: “What do you think when you see these images around the country?”

Dr. Adams: “The right to protest is one the most cherished rights in our country, so it’s tough when you think about telling people not to go protest. But if you’re going to do it, please, please, for heaven’s sake, try to do it in a safe manner.”

Scott Thuman: “How great is the fear of a resurgence?”

Dr. Adams: “Well, the fear of a resurgence is there. It’s going to be there again no matter when we reopen, but it’s why one of the things that we have in the new guidelines are criteria for reopening and one of those criteria is making sure you have adequate testing and adequate healthcare capacity.”

Scott Thuman: “Some people would argue that at times we’re hearing a different tone depending on who’s at the microphone.”

Dr. Adams: “Well, this is a once in a century public health situation. The messaging is no doubt difficult and we’re always trying to balance back and forth between helping people understand that there’s hope but also helping people understand the severity of the situation”

The Surgeon General also said his other big worry is mental well-being for people. He encourages meditating, praying, and calling friends and family. He said social distancing doesn't mean social isolation.