Given President Donald Trump's propensity for lying and his administration's constant misinformation regarding the current global pandemic, Americans across the country have become selective about which sources they deem as credible in seeking potentially lifesaving information in the face of a national health crisis.
Iowa's Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, is in stark disagreement with most Americans on whom to trust regarding measures designed to curb the virus.
Iowa is one of a few states that still has yet to issue a stay-at-home order to slow the virus's spread. Reynolds has resisted taking the step despite a unanimous recommendation from the Iowa Board of Medicine to do so.
National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Dr. Anthony Fauci recently said that all states should institute these orders.
Reynolds's response was...telling.
After calling stay-at-home orders a "divisive issue," the governor said:
"I would say that maybe [Fauci] doesn't have all the information"
Fauci has quickly become one of the most notable figures in the pandemic's response, and one of the few officials in President Donald Trump's virus task force that Americans widely trust to deliver accurate information. He's been an integral part of curbing health crises from the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States to Avian Flu to H1N1 and more.
If Fauci doesn't have all the information, then the country is—for lack of a better word—completely screwed.
People were appalled at the governor's defense.
It's safe to say that Fauci has more information and experience in these situations than any governor in the nation—including Reynolds.
The death toll in the United States from the virus recently surpassed 6000.
Information saves lives. Ignorance endangers them.
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