Fauci breaks 'social distancing,' grabs military officer who may have been exposed to coronavirus

Dr. Anthony Fauci, senior adviser on the White House’s coronavirus task force, broke guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control at the close of a recent task force press briefing.

Following the April 5 press briefing, Fauci grabbed from behind Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, leader of the coronavirus Supply Chain Stabilization Task Force – rubbing his shoulders and loudly patting his back. CDC guidelines recommend individuals stay at least six feet apart from other people.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has said he doesn't wear a face mask (despite CDC recommendations), because he has tested negative for coronavirus.

However, it is unclear whether Polowczyk has as well. Reports indicate that Polowczyk may have been in contact with someone who was infected with coronavirus, lending to worries that Fauci may have exposed himself to the coronavirus through touching Polowczyk.

Neither the White House nor NIH responded the requests for comment from Just the News.

Fauci's future is under question after Trump on Sunday evening fired off a series of tweets and a retweet following an interview Fauci gave CNN. The president defended the timeline of his actions pertaining to the spread of the coronavirus.

In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Fauci was asked if earlier implementation of “stay at home” policies would have saved lives, he replied,“It’s very difficult to go back and say that … Obviously, no one is going to deny that. But what goes into those kinds of decisions is complicated.”

“Sorry Fake News, it’s all on tape. I banned China long before people spoke up,” Trump tweeted. His words were a response to a tweet critical of Dr. Fauci’s interview by former Republican congressional candidate DeAnna Lorraine. Lorraine tweeted "Time to #FireFauci."

The World Health Organization has landed in President Trump’s crosshairs for its handling of the coronavirus, yet Fauci recently praised the group's top leader. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has come under fire for allegedly failing to warn the world about the speedy, lethal nature of the coronavirus originating in China.

"Tedros is really an outstanding person,” Fauci said during the March 25 coronavirus task force briefing. “I've known him from the time that he was the minister of Health of Ethiopia. “I mean, obviously, over the years, anyone who says that the WHO has not had problems has not been watching the WHO. But I think, under his leadership, they've done very well.”

Fauci praised Ghebreyesus’ handling of the coronavirus epidemic. 

“He has been all over this,” Fauci said. “I was on the phone with him a few hours ago leading a WHO call."

*** Update: The White House on Monday dismissed speculation that President Trump will fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top medical scientist on the White House coronavirus task force.

The announcement follows weeks of such media speculation and one day after Trump retweeted a post that included the hashtag #FireFauci.

'This media chatter is ridiculous,' White House principal deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement. “President Trump is not firing Dr. Fauci.'" ***