As you know, many areas of the country have begun to lift restrictions on work and public gathering. This decision is not a purely medical one – it is heavily influenced by economic and political considerations. But it will certainly have medical implications.
We expect to see an increase in identified COVID cases 2-4 weeks after restrictions are lifted in any particular area. Given that there has been ongoing disease transmission over the last 6 weeks despite a period of mandated social distancing, there is every reason to believe that an increase in human contact will result in a corresponding increase in transmission. Because travel is not restricted within the United States, it is also likely that we will eventually see an increase in cases in areas that have not lifted restrictions.
Unfortunately, we do not expect that warmer summer weather will lead to decreased transmission of COVID-19. There are parts of the world that are very warm and humid and nonetheless have major coronavirus outbreaks ongoing. We do not see a reason to believe things will be different in the United States.
You have our continued gratitude for understanding the need for changes to our normal protocols and for respecting the system we have set up to keep everyone as safe as possible. We look forward to seeing you soon. Please stay safe.
